Nepal registers increase in number of Indian tourists

Kathmandu: Nearly 1,68,000 Indian tourists visited Nepal by air during the first six months of 2023, registering a significant increase in their number compared to 97,313 visitors during the same period last year, official data showed on Sunday.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, the Himalayan nation received a total of 4,76,481 foreign tourists by air in the first six months of 2023.

This marked a significant recovery of 83 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

In the year 2019 (pre-Covid period), Nepal received 5,36,058 tourists by air. The number of tourists visiting Nepal in the first six months of 2023 was 16.93 per cent less than those visiting Nepal in the same period of 2019.

The number of Indians visiting Nepal by air during the first six months of 2023 was 167,605, registering a significant increase as compared to 97,313 Indian visitors in the same period last year, the board said in a press release.

In May, Nepal received a total of 1,53,602 foreign visitors out of which 36,575 were Indians. In June, Nepal received an overall lesser number of international tourists as compared to the same month the previous year.