October Guests in Nepal

The Nepal Tourism Year campaign basically centered on Chinese and Indian Tourists but as you walk around Thamel or just along the lakeside in Pokhara, one can't help but notice the many Europeans and North Americans that pass by.

The contribution of Tourism to the national economy has always played a vital role and while the Nepal Tourism Year is about to end, a surge in the number of tourists arriving in Nepal has become apparent in tourist hubs around Kathmandu and Pokhara. A growth by 16.8% has been recorded in the number of tourist coming to Nepal by air route in October 2011 in comparison to October 2010. 62,712 tourists have entered Nepal by air in the month of October alone. The number of tourists entering Nepal from SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation) countries increased by 19.4 % in the month of the October where 26.2 % from India and 11.2 % from Pakistan, informed the Nepal Tourism Board quoting immigration office at the Tribhuvan International Airport. Similarly, it is mentioned that tourists arriving from Europe has increased by 15% and tourists entering from Canada and America also increased by 4 % respectively.

At least 444,108 tourists have entered in the country till October, 2011 through air route where there was a target to attract one million tourists through land and air route in 2011. Given the amount of publicity that was been done to promote the Nepal Tourism Year and restructuring issues like visa fee reduction and the development of tourism infrastructure, it was certain that it would bring about an increase in the amount of Chinese and Indian tourists visiting Nepal. The Nepal Tourism Year campaign basically centered on Chinese and Indian Tourists but as you walk around Thamel or just along the lakeside in Pokhara, one can't help but notice the many Europeans and North Americans that pass by. If it was not the Tourism Year campaign that brought them to Nepal, then one must understand and believe that Nepal's charm is still alive in the west.