Nepal Tourism Statistics 2024 - Key Highlights & Analysis
Published by: Government of Nepal, Ministry of
Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation
Publication Year: 2025
Data Year: 2024
1. Overall Tourist Arrivals
Nepal's tourism sector showed a strong recovery and growth
in 2024.
- Total
Tourist Arrivals: 1,147,548
- Annual
Growth: 13.07% (compared to 2023)
- Mode
of Arrival:
- By
Air: 1,023,937 (89.23%)
- By
Land: 123,611 (10.77%)
2. Tourist Profile
- Gender:
- Male:
633,219 (55.2%)
- Female:
513,892 (44.8%)
- Others:
437 (0.04%)
- Age
Groups:
- 0-15
years: 64,817 (5.65%)
- 16-30
years: 213,511 (18.61%)
- 31-45
years: 352,308 (30.7%)
- 46-60
years: 309,434 (26.96%)
- 60+
years: 202,907 (17.68%)
- Not
Specified: 4,571 (0.4%)
- Average
Length of Stay: 13.3 days (a slight increase from
13.2 days in 2023)
3. Top Source Countries
The top five source countries for tourists to Nepal in 2024
were:
- India: 317,781
(27.69%)
- United
States: 111,217 (9.69%)
- China: 101,874
(8.88%)
- United
Kingdom: 54,765 (4.77%)
- Bangladesh: 48,849
(4.26%)
- Note:
Bangladesh replaced Australia in the top five compared to 2023.
4. Purpose of Visit
The distribution of visitors by purpose of visit evolved in
2024:
- Holiday/Pleasure: 693,119
(60.40%)
- Pilgrimage: 166,394
(14.50%)
- Trekking
& Mountaineering: 175,575 (15.30%)
- Others: 112,460
(9.80%)
5. Adventure Tourism (Trekking & Mountaineering)
- Trekking: 166,394
tourists reported trekking and mountaineering as their primary purpose.
- Restricted
Area Trekking: A total of 28,894 trekkers
visited various restricted areas, with Manaslu being the most popular
(12,810 trekkers).
- Mountaineering
Expeditions:
- Expedition
Teams: 2,375 (Permits issued by Dept. of Tourism & NMA)
- Total
Climbers: 9,191
- Sagarmatha
(Mt. Everest): 46 teams, 422 members, generating NPR 602.9
million in royalty.
- Popular
Peaks: Ama Dablam (55 teams), Manaslu (29 teams), and Lhotse (16
teams).
6. Pilgrimage Tourism
- Lumbini
(Birthplace of Buddha):
- Total
Visitors: 1,172,304
- Nepali
Visitors: 759,990
- Indian
Visitors: 300,889
- Other
International Visitors: 111,425
- Pashupatinath
Temple:
- International
Visitors (Excluding Indians): 136,139
7. Economic Impact
- Foreign
Exchange Earnings (FY 2080/81 - 2023/24): NPR 82,326.6 Million
(US$ 618.8 Million)
- This
contributed 1.4% to GDP and was equivalent to 45.1%
of the total value of merchandise exports.
- Average
Expenditure per Visitor per day: US$ 40.8
8. Tourism Infrastructure & Employment
- Star
Hotels: 214 (+17.6% from 2023)
- Non-Star
Hotels: 1,364 (+10.5%)
- Total
Beds: 62,642 (+15.2%)
- Travel
Agencies: 4,963
- Trekking
Agencies: 3,252
- Tourist
Guides: 5,269
- Trekking
Guides: 27,128
9. Aviation Sector
- International
Passengers: ~4.96 Million
- Outbound:
2,607,515
- Inbound:
2,355,951
- International
Flights: 33,247
- International
Airlines Operating: 31
Conclusion
The year 2024 marked a significant year of growth and
recovery for Nepal's tourism industry. With over 1.14 million visitors, the
sector not only surpassed pre-pandemic arrival numbers but also showed positive
trends in visitor spending and diversification of travel purposes, particularly
in adventure and pilgrimage tourism. The data underscores tourism's vital role
as a cornerstone of the Nepali economy, driving employment, foreign exchange
earnings, and infrastructure development.
Summarised by: Vinaya Shakya, Travel Consultant, Kathmandu, Nepal
#VinayaShakya #TravelConsultant #TravelNepal #TravelAsia #VisitNepal #Nepal
