More Nepalis visit Thailand than vice versa

Bangkok: Nepali travellers to Thailand outnumber Thai travellers to Nepal four to one. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), 25,728 Nepali travellers journeyed to the “Land of the White Elephant” in 2011.

In contrast, Nepal received 6,431 air travelers from Thailand during the same period. Thai arrivals were up 15.2 percent from the previous year.

Travel trade entrepreneurs in Nepal said Nepali outbound to Thailand was increasing gradually due to affordable tour packages and rising disposable incomes. The Nepali holiday season starts in mid-September, and most of the bookings are for tour packages to Bangkok.

Tour operators said that the most popular overseas destination for Nepali fun seekers was Thailand. And in a bid to capitalize on its growing popularity among Nepalis, TAT is planning to promote new products like religious and medical tourism to pull in more Nepalis.

“We are planning to broaden and strengthen cooperation between the two countries through the expansion of religious and medical tourism,” senior TAT official Phanom Kaributra told the Post at Thailand Tourism Mart Plus 2012.

According to the stats, the average length of stay of Nepali visitors is 7.28 days and they spend 3,779 baht (US$ 119) daily. Nepali travellers in the 35-44 age group made up the largest portion of 33.44 percent. During the three-day event, Suraphon Svetasreni, the governor for TAT, said, “This year, TAT is refocusing its strategies to attract a greater number of niche-market visitors seeking holidays and experiences more in tune with their personal preferences and lifestyles.”

Tour operators here said that the main purpose of visit of Nepalis was leisure activities followed by business and medical purpose. The number of travellers going to Thailand for medical purposes is also increasing gradually. Thailand’s two leading hospitals maintain offices in Nepal.

According to TAT figures, Indian tourists made up the largest arrivals to Thailand among South Asian visitors. In the first four months of this year, 289,852 Indian tourists visited Thailand.

Meanwhile, Nepal welcomed 2,982 Thai visitors during the period January to April 2012, said the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).

TAT stats show that 8,473 Nepalis visited Thailand during the same period. Although Nepal receives a large number of Thai visitors, they enter Nepal overland to visit Lumbini and are considered one-day visitors.

source:The Kathmandu Post,20 June 2012