Kathmandu, Jan 1 (IANS) Nepal received over 1.15 million foreign tourists in 2025, a slight rise compared to 2024, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said on Thursday.
The Himalayan country welcomed 1,158,459 foreign tourists in 2025, compared to 1,147,548 in 2024, registering an increase of just one per cent, according to the NTB.
Despite the marginal rise in foreign tourist arrivals, the recovery failed to match pre-Covid levels. Nepal had welcomed 1,197,191 foreign tourists in 2019, before the pandemic, NTB data shows.
The tourism sector also suffered a major setback due to the Gen-Z movement in early September, during which several hotel properties were destroyed, just as the industry was recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Gen-Z revolt left 77 people dead and caused damage to government and private properties worth over NPR 84 billion, according to a government study committee report.
Foreign-branded hotels, including the Hyatt Regency and Hilton, were severely damaged during the violent protests. The Hilton was burnt to the ground, while the Hyatt remains closed for maintenance. This prompted the World Bank to predict a sharp decline in foreign tourist arrivals in the following months. However, arrivals didn’t fall as projected by the World Bank.
India remained the largest source market, with 292,438 visitors. Indian tourist arrivals in 2025 accounted for 25.2 percent of total foreign tourist arrivals, according to the NTB.
The United States ranked second with 112,316 visitors, followed by China with 95,480.
The United Kingdom stood fourth, sending 58,684 tourists, followed by Bangladesh in fifth place with 57,545 visitors.
Although India contributed the largest number of tourists in 2025, overall arrivals from the southern neighbour declined by 8 per cent, according to the NTB. Tourist arrivals from China also fell by 6.3 per cent.
Following the Gen-Z protests in early September, which damaged several hotel properties, the World Bank reiterated its forecast of a sharp decline in foreign tourist arrivals. As a result, Nepal recorded an 18.3 per cent year-on-year decline in tourist arrivals in September. However, arrivals in October and November improved marginally on a year-on-year basis, according to the NTB.
The NTB also said that Nepal received foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments worth NPR 30,263 million across 476 projects during the period during the first five months of the current fiscal year 2025-26 that began in mid-July 2025.
--IANS
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