Improvement in Foreign Tourist Arrivals in Nepal

There has been an improvement in foreign tourist arrivals in Nepal. A total of 132,814 international tourists visited Nepal in October 2026 alone.

According to statistics released by the Nepal Tourism Board, tourist arrivals increased by 3.4 percent this year compared to October 2025. In October last year, 128,443 tourists visited Nepal.

Similarly, tourist arrivals increased by 50.5 percent in October 2026 compared to September 2026. A significant improvement in arrivals has been observed with the beginning of the main tourist season, when tourism activities typically increase.

More Than One Million Tourists in 10 Months

From January to October 2026, the total number of international tourists visiting Nepal reached 1,008,616. This indicates continued growth and improvement in tourist arrivals in Nepal’s tourism sector.

US overtakes India as Nepal’s largest tourism source market for first time

The United States overtook India as the largest source of foreign tourists to Nepal in October 2026, marking the first time in the country’s history that American visitors topped the list, according to the Nepal Tourism Board.

A total of 17,437 tourists arrived in Nepal from the US in October, compared with 12,097 from India and 11,695 from China. In October 2025, Nepal had received 17,298 Indian tourists, indicating a decline of around 30% in arrivals from India this year.

More than 1.32 lakh foreign tourists visited Nepal in October, a 3.4% increase compared with the same month last year. However, the number of Indian visitors dropped sharply, with floods and landslides in August being cited as a major reason for the decline.

The natural disasters damaged several roads and travel routes, disrupting movement between India and Nepal. Indian pilgrims travelling to Kailash Mansarovar were among those who faced difficulties.