According to the Nepal Department of Immigration, a total of 288,918 international tourists visited Nepal in the first three months (January, February and March) of 2018, with a healthy increment of 14.20%.

The arrivals from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan recorded positive growths of 15.2 %, 35.3%, 3.6% and 20.5 % respectively in January 2018 in comparison to the figure of same month in 2017. Similarly, the overall arrivals from the SAARC countries registered a positive growth of 18.1% as compared last year. Although Indian and Sri Lankan arrivals decreased by 32.4% and 17.4%, with an overall decrease of 17.9% in February 2018, the region witnessed a positive growth of 7.8 % in March 2018. The increase was due to the robust growth of 39.1% in the Indian visitors to Nepal.

Visitor arrivals from China increased significantly by 23.6%, 62% and 29.6% in January, February and March 2018 respectively as compared to the arrivals in the same months last year. Arrivals from Asia (other than SAARC) have also recorded positive growths of 22.2 %, 13.2 % and 21.85% in January, February and March of 2018 compared to the same months last year. Likewise the visitors from Japan, South Korea and Thailand went up by 5.3%, 32.7 % and 24.9 % in January respectively. However, the number of visitors from Malaysia declined by 12.3%. In February 2018, the arrivals from South Korea and Thailand declined by 27.4% and 18.4 %. Similarly, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Thailand all have recorded positive growths of 19.4%, 19.2%, 43% and 6.1% respectively, as compared to the figures of March 2017.

As far as European source markets are concerned, an overall positive growth of 17.2% in January, 16.4% in February and 35.9% in March were recorded as compared to the same months last year. However, the arrivals from the UK slightly decreased by 4.3% in January but the number increased by 11.1% and 21% in February and March in 2018.

Tourist arrivals from Australia and New Zealand have also increased by 0.8%, 8.2% and 15.5% respectively in January, February and March in 2018 as compared to the figures of 2017. Although tourist arrivals from USA and Canada have slightly decreased in January 2018, the upward trend resumed in February and March 2018.

Year 2017 witnessed an unprecedented growth in the visitors’ arrival and Nepal received almost a million visitors. The upward trend that took off in 2016 and its continuation in 2017 and 2018 disseminated a very positive message to the tourism sources markets abroad and entire tourism fraternity in Nepal.

VISITORS ARRIVALs BY NATIONALITY ( By land and air)


March	% Change	January	% Change	% Share ’18 Jan	% Share ’18 Feb	% Share 18 March	February	% Change	Country of Nationality
2017	2018	2017	2018	2017	2018
ASIA (SAARC)
Bangladesh	2,028	2,744	35.3%	3.7%	2,124	3,236	52.4%	3.6%	2,901	2,946	1.6%	2.4%
India	10,547	12,152	15.2%	16.5%	11,196	7,570	-32.4%	8.4%	12,729	14,411	13.2%	11.5%
Pakistan	322	388	20.5%	0.5%	348	377	8.3%	0.4%	373	519	39.1%	0.4%
Srilanka	329	341	3.6%	0.5%	7,069	5,841	-17.4%	6.5%	10,434	10,631	1.9%	8.5%
Sub-Total	13,226	15,625	18.1%	21.3%	20,737	17,024	-17.9%	18.9%	26,437	28,507	7.8%	22.8%
ASIA (OTHER)	–	–
China	9,727	12,027	23.6%	16.4%	9,499	15,393	62.0%	17.0%	10,458	13,556	29.6%	10.8%
Japan	2,027	2,134	5.3%	2.9%	2,935	2,756	-6.1%	3.1%	3,586	4,281	19.4%	3.4%
Malaysia	1,121	983	-12.3%	1.3%	1,333	1,488	11.6%	1.6%	1,858	2,214	19.2%	1.8%
Singapore	358	361	0.8%	0.5%	444	440	-0.9%	0.5%	801	835	4.2%	0.7%
S. Korea	4,579	6,075	32.7%	8.3%	3,585	2,604	-27.4%	2.9%	2,810	4,018	43.0%	3.2%
Chinese Taipei	709	938	32.3%	1.3%	775	1,001	29.2%	1.1%	827	869	5.1%	0.7%
Thailand	3,981	4,972	24.9%	6.8%	8,388	6,841	-18.4%	7.6%	6,455	6,851	6.1%	5.5%
Sub-Total	22,502	27,490	22.2%	37.4%	26,959	30,523	13.2%	33.8%	26,795	32,624	21.8%	26.1%
EUROPE
Austria	132	194	47.0%	0.3%	286	262	-8.4%	0.3%	458	633	38.2%	0.5%
Belgium	1	290	28900.0%	0.4%	344	448	30.2%	0.5%	726	873	20.2%	0.7%
Czech Republic	64	65	1.6%	0.1%	104	178	71.2%	0.2%	278	508	82.7%	0.4%
Denmark	265	255	-3.8%	0.3%	382	430	12.6%	0.5%	649	879	35.4%	0.7%
France	942	1,148	21.9%	1.6%	1,566	1,834	17.1%	2.0%	2,697	3,257	20.8%	2.6%
Germany	1,014	1,294	27.6%	1.8%	2,243	2,611	16.4%	2.9%	4,192	6,119	46.0%	4.9%
Israel	–	156	0.2%	254	278	9.4%	0.3%	994	1,260	26.8%	1.0%
Italy	511	707	38.4%	1.0%	694	908	30.8%	1.0%	821	1,237	50.7%	1.0%
The Netherlands	577	589	2.1%	0.8%	1,100	1,188	8.0%	1.3%	1,498	1,650	10.1%	1.3%
Norway	223	193	-13.5%	0.3%	244	238	-2.5%	0.3%	356	691	94.1%	0.6%
Poland	306	357	16.7%	0.5%	461	505	9.5%	0.6%	580	753	29.8%	0.6%
Russia	378	459	21.4%	0.6%	611	667	9.2%	0.7%	1,115	1,389	24.6%	1.1%
Switzerland	333	0.5%	534	0.6%	887	0.7%
Spain	478	544	13.8%	0.7%	748	726	-2.9%	0.8%	913	1,624	77.9%	1.3%
Sweden	247	169	-31.6%	0.2%	289	284	-1.7%	0.3%	604	786	30.1%	0.6%
U.K.	3,395	3,248	-4.3%	4.4%	4,363	4,847	11.1%	5.4%	6,434	7,783	21.0%	6.2%
Sub-Total	8,533	10,001	17.2%	13.6%	13,689	15,938	16.4%	17.7%	22,315	30,329	35.9%	24.2%
OCEANIA	–	–	–
Australia	2,735	2,686	-1.8%	3.7%	2,386	2,537	6.3%	2.8%	3,141	3,605	14.8%	2.9%
New Zealand	269	342	27.1%	0.5%	258	325	26.0%	0.4%	441	534	21.1%	0.4%
Sub-Total	3,004	3,028	0.8%	4.1%	2,644	2,862	8.2%	3.2%	3,582	4,139	15.5%	3.3%
AMERICAS	–	–	–	0.0%
Canada	911	951	4.4%	1.3%	1,305	1,503	15.2%	1.7%	1,784	2,086	16.9%	1.7%
U.S.A.	5,626	5,485	-2.5%	7.5%	5,847	6,794	16.2%	7.5%	8,294	9,080	9.5%	7.3%
Sub-Total	6,537	6,436	-1.5%	8.8%	7,152	8,297	16.0%	9.2%	10,078	11,166	10.8%	8.9%
OTHERS	5,435	10,935	101.2%	14.9%	12,880	15,643	21.5%	17.3%	17,084	18,351	7.4%	14.7%
Total	62,632	73,515	17.4%	100.0%	84,061	90,287	7.4%	100.0%	106,291	125,116	17.7%	100.0%
Source: Immigration Department
Analyzed & Compiled by: Nepal Tourism Board