Indian, Chinese tourists top Nepal arrivals list

India and China sent the highest number of tourists to Nepal via air in the first nine months of 2012. Indian and Chinese visitors accounted for 41.2 percent of total arrivals over the period (January-September).

Arrivals from the southern neighbour amounted 138,143— up 23.1 percent, while 37,085 Chinese visited Nepal— up 25. 7 percent, according to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) statistics.

Total tourist arrivals over the review period stood at 426,118— up 15.2 percent— compared to the corresponding period last year. Arrivals in the month of September alone rose 7.2 percent to 49,075, according to the statistics.

Nepal has been enjoying a sustained positive growth in the number of international visitors since June 2009.

Arrivals from the South Asian region recorded a growth of 2.4 percent in September. In the month, Indian arrivals grew by13.1 percent, while 28.5 percent more Sri Lankans visited Nepal. However, the number of visitors from Bangladesh and Pakistan posted a decline.

A robust growth of 19.7 percent has been observed in the arrivals from the South Asian region in the first nine months of 2012 compared to the same period last year.

Arrivals from the rest of Asia increased by 19.3 percent in September. The number of visitors from China, one of the fastest growing tourist markets for Nepal, saw a remarkable growth of 17.1 percent. Arrivals from Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore also posted growth of 136.6 percent, 26 percent, 2.9 percent, respectively. However,

visitor numbers from Japan and Thailand witnessed a negative growth in the month.

An overall positive growth of 2.6 percent has been observed from the European markets, with arrivals from France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia growing 8.8 percent, 23.4 percent, 2.5 percent, and 3.3 percent, respectively, in September. However, arrivals from Spain, Switzerland and Italy declined by 7.8 percent, 7.6 percent and 30 percent, respectively, compared to the same month last year.

Tourist arrivals from Australia, New Zealand, and USA increased by 39.8 percent, 4.2 percent, and 3.8 percent, respectively. A total of 43,689 foreign tourists departed from Tribhuvan International Airport in September 2012.

source: The Kathmandu Post,2 Oct 2012