Tourist trends and arrivals in Nepal in October 2024

October has been considered ideal for traveling to Nepal because of its fine climate, the best time for trekking, and the two greatest festivals of Nepal, Dashain, and Tihar. Nepal thereafter maintains its status as a premier tourist destination in the world in 2024 as everyone who wants to enjoy both the natural and cultural experience, as well as religious tours comes in large numbers. Here is a detailed perspective on the tourism trends, highlights, and factors that characterized the tourist trends and arrivals in Nepal in October 2024. 

October Tourism Overview and Trends

High Trekking Season

October is an excellent and popular month specifically for trekking expeditions in Nepal as thousands of tours arrive this month. Due to less humidity and no rainy season, trekking routes including EBC, Annapurna, and Langtang trekking have high demands for visitors. 

This year saw a rise in hikers completing the Manaslu Circuit and Mardi Himal treks, seeking adventurous experiences.

Tour operators have stated that trekkers have booked or shown interest greatly, especially in covering both the traditional as well as newly emerging trekking trails, thus making the season in the mountains very busy.

Increase in Adventure Tourism

Other than trekking, there has been a noticeable gradual incline in adventure travels including paragliding, white-water rafting, and jungle. Tourist sites such as Pokhara and Chitwan have witnessed good business and the general public has comfortably utilized the clear blue sky to enjoy various thrilling sports and wildlife tours.

The month of October has also been good for mountain flights and Helicopter tours for those travelers who want to see the beautiful mountains of the Himalayas but do not have the luxury of time for the trek.

Cultural tourism and festivals, of which Ireland enjoys a good sample, are defined as traveling aimed at learning about the cultural characteristics of a given territory.

October also has two largest festivals in Nepal, namely Dashain and Tihar, therefore travelers keen on festivals would do well to prepare for their visit in October. The Nepali people have welcomed tourists to join in festival activities and many hotels and homestays have staged special festival dinners and events so visitors can feel that they are taking part in Nepali culture. 

Places like Kathmandu and Bhaktapur which are famous tourist locations owing to their history and culture have been flooded with tourists who expected temple tours, food, and festivities to continue as before.

The transition to sustainable and environmentally friendly traveling

By 2024, people have started to care about the environment and their traveling choices, aiming at looking for environmentally friendly traveling options. Ranging from the Annapurna eco lodges to plastic control zones put in place in conservation areas, Nepal is going green with tourism as the world shifts to sustainable tourism. 

People have become interested in tea house trekking, thus boosting the local economy. They also engaged in the conservation and preservation of the environment, swelling the value of responsible tourism in the area.

Rise in Domestic Tourism

There is improvement in domestic tourism in Nepal too primarily to the contribution of October which is a festive season and easing up of covid protocols. For the local tourists, especially for outing and family tours, various places like Nagarkot, Dhulikhel and Pokhara have been part of their itinerary. 

Social media usage has also acted as a factor of influence because many traveling within the region have posted their discoveries on social media thus encouraging others to take a tour round their own country.

Research on the site of the Nepal Tourism Board shows that in October 2024, close to the exact number of tourist arrivals have been recorded in Nepal as before the pandemic break. Looking at statistics that came out at the beginning of the month there seems to be a steady rise in visitors coming to the country, factors such as relaxed visa policies, better flight connectivity and a growing interest in the appeal that Nepal has to offer. 

These are the United States, United Kingdom, China, India, and some European countries, all of which have boosted the trend of tourist arrivals.

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Improved Infrastructure

The government of Nepal has done this through better development of road access and better airports, all of which has helped to contribute to tourists visiting the country. The newly developed international airport in Pokhara has made it easier for travelers to access the Annapurna area, while Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport still handles most international flights.

Government Initiatives

For this reason, Nepal leads campaigns like responsible tourism, especially in undiscovered yet beautiful areas. This has encouraged the government to promote awareness of lesser-known locations, helping reduce congestion and achieve balanced growth.

Challenges from climate change

The favorable climatic condition for tourism is still threatened by climate change in the Nepalese context. Short or extended seasonal variations affect the agricultural sector, while unpredictable monsoon is sometimes characterized by long periods disrupting travel and posing problems of landslides affecting structures and constructions. 

Fortunately, preventive measures, and enhanced safety measures have been implemented and as a result, the visitors have had a seamless experience in 2024.

Kathmandu, Nov. 6: In October 2024, more than 124,000 foreign visitors arrived in Nepal. 

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) reports that 124,393 visitors came to Nepal in October of this year. Compared to the same month of the pIn March 2024, the greatest number of visitors 128,167 arrived in Nepal.

In the same way, around 79,100 visitors visited Nepal in January, 97,426 in February, 111,376 in April, 90,211 in May, 76,736 in June, and 64,600 in July of this year.  Similarly, around 72,719 visitors arrived in Nepal in August 2024, and 96,305 in September 2024.

Previous fiscal year 2023, represented a 6.04 percent increase in tourist arrivals. However, it only accounts for 92.76 percent of the October 2019 arrivals.

In the month of October 2023, 117,306 tourists had reached Nepal. In a similar vein, approximately 134,096 visitors traveled to Nepal in October 2019. The first ten months from the start of 2024 saw almost 941,000 visitors arrive in Nepal.  

The month of October had the largest influx of visitors from India to Nepal. Around 16,313 visitors have come from India while 16,023 tourists from the United States of America and 8,019 tourists from the United Kingdom have visited Nepal, according to the NTB.

In a similar vein, 7,750 visitors came from China, 6,929 from Australia, 6,018 from Germany, and 5,485 from France.

Over the course of October this year, 4,476 visitors came to Nepal from Bangladesh, 3,125 from Sri Lanka, and 2,635 from Italy.

India accounted for 13.11 percent of all tourist arrivals in October, compared to 12.88 percent for the United States, 6.45 percent for the United Kingdom, 6.23 percent for China, and 5.57 percent for Australia.

In a similar vein, Germany accounted for 4.84 percent of all October visitor arrivals, followed by France at 4.41 percent, Bangladesh at 3.60 percent, Sri Lanka at 2.51 percent, and Italy at 2.12 percent. 

Conclusion

The week of October has given a good indication that the winter season in Nepal is looking good. As the country’s tourism sector keeps on rebuilding, even more tourists are anticipated to visit the country in the future months. 

The concept of sustainable tourism when backed by the Himalayan kingdom’s unparalleled pre-dispositions of natural and cultural endowments places it right in the heart of the tourism map of South Asia.