Nepal Records 12.1% Rise in Foreign Tourist Arrivals Despite August Floods

A total of 88,248 international visitors travelled to Nepal during September, compared with 78,711 during the same month last year.

The increase came despite the impact of devastating floods along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors. The disaster, triggered by an avalanche near the Nepal-China border, killed at least 1,453 people, while 5,285 people, including 636 foreign nationals, were reported missing.

Extensive images of damaged roads, destroyed bridges, stranded residents and bodies recovered from rivers were widely circulated internationally. The scale of the coverage created concerns among prospective travellers that the disruption had affected large parts of Nepal.

Following the disaster, some tourists began cancelling hotel reservations, prompting government agencies and businesses in the tourism sector to launch the #NepalCalling campaign. The initiative sought to reassure international visitors that most tourist destinations remained operational and safe, with the most severe disruption concentrated around the affected river corridors.

The September-November period is particularly important for Nepal's tourism industry and accounts for almost 40 per cent of the country's annual foreign tourist arrivals.

India remained Nepal's biggest source of international visitors in September, with 17,425 arrivals, representing a 12 per cent increase from the same month last year.

China ranked second with 11,212 visitors. Chinese arrivals recorded a particularly sharp annual increase of 114.1 per cent.

The United States was the third-largest source market with 8,299 visitors, followed by Sri Lanka with 7,108 and Australia with 4,842.

South Asia accounted for the largest share of regional arrivals, with 30,085 visitors, or 34.09 per cent of the total. A further 19,888 tourists came from other parts of Asia, while Europe contributed 15,148 arrivals.

However, arrivals from Europe declined by 8.7 per cent compared with September last year. Nepal also recorded declines from the Oceania region, where arrivals fell 25.9 per cent, and the Americas, which registered a 12.3 per cent drop.

Despite significant disruption in specific areas, the overall September figures indicate that Nepal's international tourism market remained relatively resilient during one of its most important travel seasons.