Tourist arrivals in Nepal crossed the 1 million benchmark for the first time in 2018, with a remarkable growth of 25 percent. Nepal welcomed 1,173,072 tourists in 2018 compared to 940,218 in 2017. The phenomenal growth of double-digit visitor arrivals has continued since 2016. However, the fears for the industry rose after a devastating earthquake in 2015. Unfortunately, it killed nearly 9,000 people and destroyed many of the country's heritage sites; the tourism sector remarkably returned. Visitors' arrival increase from India, China, the USA, Sri Lanka, and the UK has contributed significantly to the historical growth in tourist arrivals in 2018.
Indian tourists recorded 25%, and similarly, Chinese tourists recorded 47% and Sri Lankans 57 % in 2018 over the last year. European travelers' arrivals recorded double-digit healthy growths. 243,284 Europeans visited Nepal in 2018, including 63,086 from the UK, 36,833 from Germany, and 31,653 from France.
The total number of US visitors to Nepal in 2018 was 91,785, an increase of 16 percent over the previous year's figures. Likewise, the number of Australian visitors to Nepal in 2018 stood at 38,408, 15.1 percent more than in 2017.
The year's last two months, November and December, tourist arrival positively surprised Nepal's tourism industry. Record growth of 47 percent increase in 2018 compared to the same months in 2017
Decade Tourist Arrival data in Nepal
The decade-long data on Tourist arrivals in Nepal show steady growth. There was an excellent pick-up after the earthquake in 2015. A double-digit growth of around 25% was recorded in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Tourist arrivals were 630,762 in 2010, 735,932 in visit Nepal year 2011, and 796,759 in 2012. Similarly, 797,759 were in 2013, 790,118 in 2014, and 538,970 in 2015. Furthermore, there was significant growth of 729,905 in 2016, 940,218 in 2017, and 1,173,072 in 2018.
All major tourist regions in Nepal, like Everest, Annapurna, Langtang, Mustang, Kanchenjunga, etc., received. Recorded one-quarter of trekkers and climbers' growth in the last three consecutive years: 2016, 2017, and 2018. Nepal will welcome two million tourists in the Visit Nepal Year 2020.
Most first-time trekkers hike to the Everest base camp or Annapurna sanctuary trek. Similarly, trekkers who wish to have peak climbing experience beyond simply trekking in Nepal do join the Island Peak or Mera Peak climbing in the Himalayas before the 8000-meter summit push.
