Kathmandu: More than 720,000 foreign tourists have entered Nepal in the first eight months of 2024, according to data from the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). From January to August, a total of 720,334 tourists visited the country, marking an 8.3 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

In August alone, 72,719 tourists arrived in Nepal, an increase of 5,566 compared to 67,153 during the same month in 2023. NTB Director Maniraj Lamichhane noted that the number of foreign tourists has been steadily rising and expressed optimism about a further influx, particularly from neighboring countries, due to ongoing tourism promotion programs.

The majority of August visitors came from India (25,832), followed by China (6,614), the US (5,614), Sri Lanka (4,851), and Bangladesh (3,077). Tourist arrivals have shown a consistent increase post-COVID, with 1,014,885 visitors recorded in 2023.

The government aims to attract 1.6 million tourists in the current fiscal year, supported by the implementation of the Tourism Strategy Plan (2016-25) and the Visit Nepal Decade initiative. Additionally, the Department of Tourism is developing infrastructure across 100 identified tourist destinations to meet the growing demand.