Kathmandu, Jan 1:
Nepal received over 1.15 million foreign tourists in 2025, recording a marginal increase compared to the previous year, according to data released by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) on Thursday. The Himalayan nation welcomed 1,158,459 foreign visitors in 2025, up slightly from 1,147,548 arrivals in 2024, reflecting a growth of just one per cent.
Despite the modest rise, the recovery of Nepal’s tourism sector remains below pre-Covid levels. NTB data shows that Nepal had received 1,197,191 foreign tourists in 2019, before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting that the industry has yet to fully regain its earlier momentum.
The sector also faced a major setback in early September 2025 due to the Gen-Z movement, which erupted just as tourism was showing signs of recovery. The violent protests resulted in the deaths of 77 people and caused extensive damage to government and private properties estimated at over NPR 84 billion, according to a government-appointed study committee.
Several foreign-branded hotels were severely affected during the unrest. Prominent properties such as the Hilton and Hyatt Regency sustained heavy damage, with the Hilton being completely destroyed and the Hyatt remaining closed for maintenance. Following these incidents, the World Bank projected a sharp decline in tourist arrivals, although the actual downturn was less severe than anticipated.
India remained Nepal’s largest source market in 2025, with 292,438 visitors, accounting for 25.2 per cent of total foreign tourist arrivals. The United States ranked second with 112,316 visitors, followed by China with 95,480. The United Kingdom stood fourth with 58,684 tourists, while Bangladesh ranked fifth with 57,545 visitors.
However, arrivals from India declined by 8 per cent year-on-year, while tourist inflow from China fell by 6.3 per cent. Following the September unrest, Nepal recorded an 18.3 per cent year-on-year decline in tourist arrivals that month, though figures showed marginal improvement in October and November.
The NTB also reported that Nepal received foreign direct investment commitments worth NPR 30,263 million across 476 projects during the first five months of the current fiscal year 2025–26, which began in mid-July 2025.
