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DOCKING NEPAL’S ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
Tourism The removal of seven-day quarantine and resuming the issue of visas on arrival to all the vaccinated foreign travellers has led Nepal to record the highest number of international tourist arrivals in October since the surge of the pandemic in March 2020. The gradual lifting of travel restrictions and safety measures for fully vaccinated international visitors and the opening of the hospitality sector has boosted the inflow of tourists since September. The Asian Development Bank claims that international tourist arrivals which declined by 80.8% in 2020 have the possibility of gradual recovery as trekking routes and expeditions resume. Nepal Tourism Board’s effort to promote regional travel among the neighbouring countries through collaboration can help with the recovery of the tourism sector. Tourist Arrival: In the first ten months of 2021, 100,148 tourists visited Nepal. The number of tourists arriving in Nepal has been on a rise. On October 23, 284 foreign tourists visited, whereas only 9,898 tourists visited in the month of September.150 The inflow of tourists has gained momentum since September 2021 after the plunge in May 2021 (1,468) due to the lockdown and travel restriction. This jump in international traveller is a sign of tourism industry rebounding which remained flat since the first lockdown in March 2020. India has been a major source of tourist traffic to Nepal in the month of October. Indians account for 37.5% (8,736) of the total tourists who visited Nepal followed by the United States accounting for 20% (4,711), and the United Kingdom accounting for 5% (1,381).151
TOURISM INVESTMENT Short Term Jobs for 1,000 Tourism Workers: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) with Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the ‘Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery’ project, which is backed by the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP). The project is aimed at generating shortterm jobs for 1,000 tourism workers who have been hit hardest by COVID-19. The NTB plans to offer jobs ranging from 70,000 to 100,000 mandays as part of the initiative. In the coming days, the NTB is considering developing such initiatives for the relief of the tourism workforce. The project will run for two-and-a-halfyear with a total cost of USD 2 million 50 thousand (NPR 244.216 million) (USD 1 million on its own and USD 1.05 million
with UNDP funding).152 The Hotel Association of Nepal (HAAN), Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA), and Nepal Association of Rafting Agencies (NARA) have all signed similar agreements with the NTB.
UNWTO Assurance for Support to Nepal's Tourism Sector: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has emphasized its continuous support for the development of Nepal's tourism industry during an executive program on Asia Pacific Region's Tourism and Strategy held in the Maldives. UNWTO wants to support Nepal's sustainable tourism development, natural and mountaineering tourism development, and institutional capacity enhancement. The officials of UNWTO have committed to organizing a program of the Asia Pacific Region in Nepal in 2023.153
