Nepal Welcomes 71,775 Foreign Tourists in July 2026; Chinese Arrivals Surge 61%
Nepal welcomed 71,775 foreign tourists in July 2026, marking a 2.3% year-on-year increase compared to 70,193 international visitors recorded in July 2025, according to the latest statistics released by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). India remained Nepal's largest source market with 23,490 visitors, accounting for 32.73% of total arrivals, while China recorded the strongest growth among major markets, with 11,099 Chinese tourists visiting Nepal during the month, a 61.09% increase from 6,890 in July 2025.
Chinese arrivals also surpassed the pre-pandemic July 2019 figure of 10,215, standing 8.65% above pre-COVID levels. The United States ranked as the third-largest source market with 7,754 visitors, followed by Bangladesh (4,179), the United Kingdom (3,773), and Australia (2,428).
Regionally, SAARC countries contributed the highest share of arrivals, with 29,755 visitors, representing 41.46% of the total. However, this was 11.93% lower than the 33,787 arrivals recorded from the region in July 2025. Within South Asia, Bhutan contributed 991 visitors, Pakistan recorded a 3.94% increase to 475 visitors, Sri Lanka sent 581 tourists, while the Maldives contributed 39 visitors, reflecting a 2.84% decline.
Excluding South Asia, other Asian markets posted robust growth, with 17,424 arrivals, accounting for 24.28% of total visitors and representing a 33.05% increase from 13,052 in July last year. After China, the leading Asian markets included South Korea (1,394), Malaysia (1,380), Japan (1,111), Vietnam (574), Singapore (437), Myanmar (437), and Thailand (428).
Meanwhile, Europe contributed 9,279 visitors (12.93%), led by the United Kingdom (3,773), followed by Germany (723), Spain (681), France (644), the Netherlands (514), Portugal (489), and Russia (467). Nepal also welcomed 8,824 visitors from the Americas, 2,607 from Oceania, 736 from the Middle East, and 324 from Africa during the month, highlighting the country's continued recovery and diversification of international tourism markets.
