July 4: The arrival of tourists, which was steadily rising since the beginning of 2022, has declined in the last two months.

The arrival of tourists was highest in April this year but has declined in May and June.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), a total of 58,348 tourists visited Nepal in April through the air route. However, the arrival of tourists in May was recorded to be 53,608 while there was a further slump in arrival of tourists in June with just 46,957 tourists visiting Nepal during the review month.

Tourism entrepreneurs say that the arrival of tourists was not discouraging in May and June.

Senior Vice President of the Hotel Association of Nepal Binayak Shah said that the arrival of tourists in May and June was encouraging.

It is believed that mostly Indian tourists arrive in Nepal during these two months compared to tourists from other countries and therefore the number seems to have declined as the record does not include Indian tourists arriving from across the border using roadways.

According to the board, air arrival of tourists in the first six months of 2022 stood at 237,660. Despite the recent slump in arrival of tourists with the onset of monsoon, the tourism sector is starting to claw back to the pre-pandemic situation of 2019.

March and April are considered as tourist season as the period is ideal for trekking and mountain expedition.

Shah further said that travel agencies have been inquiring and seeking quotations for the upcoming season. However, Shah stated that they are not able to provide services at the prices of the pre-pandemic period due to price hike and high operating cost.

According to NTB, arrival of  Indian tourists was highest in June. The board informed that 23,248 tourists from India visited Nepal in  June. At present, Nepal has been receiving highest number of tourists from SAARC countries including India, Bangaldesh, Bhutan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. A total of 26,030 tourists visited Nepal from these countries during the review month. The arrival of tourists from these countries in June 2019 was 24,557.

American tourists are second in the list with 8,980 visiting Nepal in June. Likewise, 4,787 tourists from 17 different European countries visited Nepal during this period. Similarly, Nepal welcomed 2,369 tourists from Asian countries including China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar.