KATHMANDU, Nepal- As many as three lakh 75 thousand foreign tourists visit Nepal through air route in the first eight months of 2013. The figure is 2.3 percent less than the arrivals recorded in the same period last year.
According to the statistics compiled by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), 3 lakh 68 thousand three hundred 96 tourists visit Nepal in the past eight months this year. The number was 3 lakh 77 thousand 43 during January to August 2012.
India, which constitutes the major market of Nepal, recorded negative growth of 18.1 percent this year as compared to the corresponding period last year. This year altogether 1 lakh 3 thousand 5 hundred 68 Indian enter Nepal through air route. In the same way the period recorded downfall in the arrivals from Britain and the USA. The statistics showed while 20 thousand 3 hundred 88 British tourists visit Nepal during the eight month’s period as many as 26 thousand 8 hundred 54 American tourists visit the country.
In the Nepali tourism business, half month of October, November, February, March and April are considered as the high tourist season. While December, January and September are taken as the low season, May, June, July and August are taken as the tourism off season.
However, despite off season the month of August had recorded a slight improvement in the arrivals figure this year. The number of foreigners visiting Nepal in the month of August 2013, compared to the same month last year, have increased by 6.34.% to 47,397.
India has recorded negative growth of 1.67 % last month. According to the data compiled by Tribhuvan International Airport, the South Asian segment has registered positive growth of 10.% in August. Arrivals from Bangladesh , Pakistan and Sri Lanka have increased by 83.14%, 36.92% and 59.64% respectively.
Arrivals from Asia (other than South Asia) have recorded positive growth of 21.92% in aggregate.
The visitor arrivals from China increased by 21.50% compared to the same month last year.
Similarly, the arrivals from Japan and Singapore and Malaysia have also increased by 34.54%, 51.66% and 73.89% respectively. However, Thailand saw decline of 8.53%.
An overall negative growth of 17.37% has been observed from the European markets.
Arrivals from markets such as the UK, Germany, and France are up by 2.22%, 10.38%, and 2.45% respectively.
However, arrivals from Spain, Italy and the Netherlands have declined by 9.53%, 50.56%, 3.95% respectively compared to the same month last year.
Tourist arrivals from Australia, Canada and the USA have increased by 39.23%, 6.78% and 16.05% respectively. However, arrivals from New Zealand have decreased by 3.64%.
