Kathmandu: Nepal has successfully achieved its target of welcoming more than one million foreign tourists in the year 2023. According to data from the Nepal Tourism Board, a total of 1,008,614 tourists arrived in Nepal via air as of 5:00 am today.

This accomplishment fulfills the government's objective, as outlined in the current fiscal year's budget, to attract one million foreign tourists in 2023. The tourism sector, severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, has shown significant recovery, reaching nearly 85% of pre-pandemic levels this year.

In 2019, Nepal had welcomed around 1.2 million foreign tourists, indicating a strong rebound in tourism despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. Maniraj Lamichhane, Director of the Nepal Tourism Board, expressed optimism about this year's tourism performance.

"The arrival of tourists this year is encouraging," said Lamichhane. The revival of the tourism sector is considered a positive sign for Nepal's economy. Binayak Shah, President of the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), anticipates further increases in tourist arrivals in the coming days, especially if the government continues to collaborate with the private sector.

The government has declared the year 2025 as Visit Nepal Year, aiming to boost tourism further. Additionally, the period from 2023 to 2032 is designated as the Tourism Decade, with a target of attracting 3.5 million tourists.

Notably, there has been a significant rise in the number of Indian tourists, reaching 317,481 this year compared to 254,150 in 2019. The influx of American tourists also increased to 99,985 in 2023 from 93,241 in 2019. Similarly, Chinese tourist numbers have shown improvement, with 60,160 arrivals this year compared to 169,543 in 2019. The government's commitment to enhancing tourism infrastructure and collaboration with the private sector is expected to contribute to further growth in the tourism sector.