Tourism in Nepal

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Tourism is the largest industry in Nepal and its largest source of foreign exchange and revenue. Possessing eight of the ten highest mountains in the world, Nepal is a hot spot destination for mountaineers, rock climbers and people seeking adventure. The Hindu and Buddhist heritage of Nepal and its cool weather are also strong attractions.[1]

Overview[]

Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space. Nepal has 8 of the 10 highest mountains in the world.

Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world (8848m above the sea level), is located in Nepal. Mountaineering and other types of adventure tourism and ecotourism are important attractions for visitors. The world heritage site Lumbini, birthplace of Buddha, is located in the south of the West region of Nepal (which despite the name is located in the center of the country) and there are other important religious pilgrimage sites throughout the country. The tourist industry is seen as a way to alleviate poverty and achieve greater social equity in the country. Tourism brings $471 million a year to Nepal.[2]

Namche Bazaar, gateway to Mount Everest, under snow

According to statistics of 2012, there was a slow growth rate of 9.8%.[out of date] According to statistics from Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), a total of 598,204 foreign tourists entered the country via aerial route in 2012. The government of Nepal declared 2011 to be Nepal Tourism Year, and hoped to attract one million foreign tourists to the country during that year.[3] The government of Nepal has also declared Lumbini Tourism Year 2012 to promote Lumbini. The government of Nepal has also recently declared Visit Nepal 2020 with the aim of bringing in two million tourists by 2020.

According to the statistics of 2017, most of the tourists comes to Nepal for observing the pilgrimage sites and heritages sites of the country i.e. 70.3%, then 34.5% visit for pleasure, 13.1% of them visit Nepal for mountaineering and trekking and remaining 18.0% of the tourists arrive for official activities, conferences, business etc.

The tourism industry of Nepal was affected after the destructive earthquake in 2015, by the series of earthquakes in 2015. In 2020, the tourism sector in Nepal collapsed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]

Statistics[]

In 2007, the number of international tourists visiting Nepal was 526,705, which was an increase of 37.2% compared to the previous year. In 2008, the number of tourists decreased by 5% to 500,277. In 2018, the number of international tourists arrival was a record high of 1.7 million. Pokhara is one of the main tourist destinations in Nepal.

In 2008, 55.9% of the foreign visitors came from Asia (18.2% from India), while Western Europeans accounted for 27.5%, 7.6% were from North America, 3.2% from Australia and the Pacific Region, 2.6% from Eastern Europe, 1.5% from Central and South America, 0.3% from Africa and 1.4% from other countries.

Foreign tourists visiting Nepal in 2008 stayed in the country for an average of 11.78 days.[5][6]

Arrivals[]

Jomsom Mustang, Jomsom, Jomsom Mustang Nepal
Tourists at Jomsom

This statistic shows the number of international tourist arrivals by year, 1993–2019:[7] [8]

Year Number of international tourists
arriving in Nepal
% change from
previous year
1993 293,567 -12.2%
1994 326,531 +11.2%
1995 363,395 +11.3%
1996 393,613 +8.3%
1997 421,857 +7.2%
1998 463,684 +9.9%
1999 491,504 +6.0%
2000 463,646 -5.7%
2001 361,237 -22.1%
2002 275,468 -23.7%
2003 338,132 +22.7%
2004 385,297 +13.9%
2005 375,398 -2.6%
2006 383,926 +2.3%
2007 526,705 +37.3%
2008 500,277 -5.0%
2009 509,956 +1.9%
2010 602,867 +18.2%
2011 736,215 +22.1%
2012 803,092 +9.1%
2013 797,616 -0.7%
2014 790,118 -0.9%
2015 538,970 -31%
2016 753,002 +40%
2017 940,218 +24.8%
2018 1,173,072 +24.8%
2019 1,197,191 +2.1%

Arrivals by country[]

Most tourists arriving to Nepal on short term basis were from the following countries of nationality:[9][10][11] [12]

Rank Country 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
1  India 254,150 194,323 160,832 118,249 75,124 135,343 180,974
2  China 169,543 153,633 104,664 104,005 66,984 123,805 113,173
3  United States 93,218 91,895 79,146 53,645 42,687 49,830 47,355
4  United Kingdom 61,144 63,466 51,058 46,295 29,730 36,759 35,688
5  Sri Lanka 55,869 69,490 45,361 57,521 44,367 37,546 32,736
6  Thailand 41,653 52,429 39,154 26,722 32,338 33,422 40,969
7  South Korea 29,680 37,218 34,301 25,171 18,112 23,205 19,714
8  Australia 38,972 38,429 33,371 25,507 16,619 24,516 20,469
9  Myanmar 36,274 41,402 30,852 25,769 21,631 N/A N/A
10  Germany 36,641 36,879 29,918 23,812 16,405 18,028 22,263
11  Bangladesh 25,849 26,355 29,060 23,440 14,831 21,851 22,410
12  Japan 30,534 29,817 27,326 22,979 17,613 25,892 26,694
13  France 30,646 31,810 26,140 20,863 16,405 24,097 21,842
14  Malaysia 21,329 22,833 18,284 13,669 9,855 18,915 18,842
15  Spain 19,057 20,214 15,953 12,255 6,741 13,110 10,412
16  Canada 17,102 17,317 15,105 12,491 8,398 11,610 12,132
17  Netherlands 15,032 15,353 13,393 11,453 7,515 12,320 10,516
Total Foreigner 1,197,191 1,173,072 940,218 753,002 538,970 790,118 797,616

Wilderness tourism[]

Chitwan National Park
Rhinos leofleck.jpg
Elephant safari with rhinos

According to Nepal's Ministry of Tourism, major tourist activities include wilderness and adventure activities such as mountain biking, bungee jumping, rock climbing and mountain climbing, trekking, hiking,[13] bird watching, flights, paragliding and hot air ballooning over the mountains of Himalaya, exploring the waterways by raft, kayak or canoe and jungle safaris especially in the Terai region.[14]

Religious sites[]

Janaki Mandir in janakpur, the temple where Nepalese goddess Sita married Lord Rama in Nepal.
World-famous Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal.

The majority religion in Nepal is Hinduism, and the Pashupatinath Temple, the world's largest temple of Shiva, located in Kathmandu, attracts many pilgrims and tourists. Other Hindu pilgrimage sites include the temple complex in Swargadwari in the Pyuthan district; Janaki Mandir in Janakpurdham in Mithila region; Lake Gosainkunda near Dhunche; the temples at Devghat; Manakamana temple in the Gorkha District; Pathibhara near Phungling; and Mahamrityunjaya Shivasan Nepal in Palpa District where the biggest metallic idol of Lord Shiva is located.

Buddhism is the largest minority religion. The World Heritage site at Lumbini, which is traditionally considered to be the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, is an important pilgrimage site. Another prominent Buddhist site is Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, in Kathmandu.

Dang valley is a sacred place for Hindus as well as other religions. Kalika and Malika Devi in Chhillikot hill, Ambekeshawori temple, Krishna temple, Dharapani temple are among the sacred places in Dang district. Chillikot hill is also a good place for sightseeing and also an ancient palace of a king.

Muktinath is a sacred place for Hindus as well as Buddhists. The site is located in Muktinath Valley, Mustang district.

Badimalika temple in Bajura District, Gadhimai Temple in Bara district, Halesi Mahadeva temple in Khotang. Bhageshwori Mandir in Nepalgunj. Bhagbhati mandir in Rajbiraj are also some popular temples in Nepal.[15]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Turner, Rochelle. "Travel & Tourism Economic Impact 2015 Nepal". World Travel & Tourism Council. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  2. ^ "Why Mount Everest is so dangerous". Discover Economist. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  3. ^ Nepal aims to attract 1 million foreign tourists next year Archived 2010-10-02 at the Wayback Machine Xinhua News Agency, accessed 21 November 2010
  4. ^ Sharma, Bhadra; Gettleman, Jeffrey (2020-11-02). "Mount Everest Empties as Covid-19 Strikes Tourism in Nepal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-02. The trails snaking through the Himalayas are deserted, including those leading up to Everest Base Camp. Fewer than 150 climbers have arrived this fall season, immigration officials said, down from thousands last year.
  5. ^ Survey report Archived 2011-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Government of Nepal, Ministry of Finance, accessed 21 November 2010
  6. ^ Nepal Tourism Statistics 2010 Report Archived 2012-09-07 at the Wayback Machine, Government of Nepal, Ministry of Tourism, and Civil Aviation, accessed April 3rd, 2012.
  7. ^ Government of Nepal, Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation (May 2016). "Nepal Tourism Statistics 2018" (PDF) (Visitor Arrivals). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-11-18. Retrieved 2017-11-23.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Government of Nepal, Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation: "Nepal Tourism Statistics 2019", Kathmandu, May 2016
  9. ^ "Countrywise Tourist Arrival Statistics (2013-2016)". Nepal Tourism Board. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Arrival Departure Final Summary 2017" (XLSX). Nepal Tourism Board. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Nepal Tourism Statistics 2018" (PDF). tourism.gov.np. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  12. ^ Government of Nepal, Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation: "Nepal Tourism Statistics 2019", Kathmandu, May 2016
  13. ^ "Popular Hiking Routes in Nepal". Everest Uncensored. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  14. ^ Major Tourism Activities Archived 2015-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, Nepal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, retrieved 21 October 2014
  15. ^ "9 Amazing Nepali Temple You Should Visit Before You Die". Prasant Bhatt. 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2018-05-20.

External links[]

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