KATHMANDU, DEC 01 - Tourist arrivals by air have increased by 8 percent in November. According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), 39,784 tourists visited Nepal by air in November compared to 36,851 in the same month last year. This is the sixth consecutive month that Nepal has witnessed a positive growth in international tourist arrivals.
Tourist arrivals from all the major segments were up in November. The Asian segment grew 20.2 percent while the South Asian segment saw a 16 percent rise. Likewise, arrivals from Europe and Oceania went up by 5.5 percent and 24.4 percent respectively. The Americas market registered a growth of 6.4 percent.
The number of tourists from India, one of the major segments of Nepal's tourism, surged by 16.1 percent. November saw 5,724 Indians arriving in Nepal against 4,932 in the same month last year. The number of Chinese tourists jumped by 68.4 percent, whereas Japanese visitors declined by 6.4 percent.
There were fewer tourists from the U.K. and France. According to the NTB's statistics, arrivals from the U.K. and France declined by 5.5 percent and 9.8 percent respectively. Belgium, Sweden, Israel, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands recorded an increase. Similarly, tourist arrivals from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S.A. registered a robust growth of 27.8 percent, 2.7percent, 14.8 percent and 3.8 percent respectively.
A growth in the Indian and Chinese markets has been a major contributing factor in the overall increase in visitor arrivals in November. This illustrates the fact that regional tourism can play a pivotal role in increasing overall tourist arrivals. The NTB has strategically segmented India and China as prime markets, and accordingly has given higher priority to carrying out promotional activities in these markets. |
