TourisminNepal

The world’s highest peaks, rich flora and fauna, and diverse culture and religion –are all housed in Nepal. The country continues to presents itself as a popular tourism destination. The tourism sector is an important contributor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment in Nepal as well as foreign exchange earnings. The sector also creates indirect impact through crosssectoral synergies and induced spending. The sector contributes 3% to the GDP , but the actual figure is expected to be much higher due to the presence of informal businesses. The tourism and hotel industry represented 6.7% of total employment in 2019, representing over one million direct and indirect jobs . The overall outlook for the sector is positive with growing inbound as well as domestic tourism, favorable investment climate, and growing private sector activity.

The autumn months from October to December are the peak tourist season in Nepal, with the late spring months being the second peak season for tourists in Nepal. The autumn months of October and November have a suitable climate for trekking and attract a significant number of adventure tourists. The autumn months are also plotted with holidays and festivities that further attracts an influx of tourists

A significant number of international tourists are from India (20 57%) and China (11.37%), due to the close geographical proximity and similar cultural ties. Tourists from the UK, USA, Sri Lanka, and Germany also make up a large proportion of international tourists.

The lockdown imposed to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 had a significant impact on economies all over the world. The tourism sector suffered as movement was restricted both within the country and beyond On 11th March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic and instructed countries to take immediate actions. Nepal went into its first lockdown on March 24, 2020 Subsequently, tourist visa on arrival was suspended and flights were put to a halt As per Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), the hospitality industry suffered an estimated loss of 80-90% in 2020 and over 95% in 2021. Although the COVID-19 restrictions have eased since then, the tourism sector in Nepal is still struggling to recover from the huge losses it had suffered The country’s luxury hotels suffered their highest-ever losses in the last fiscal year that ended mid-July .