KEDAR DAHAL
KATHMANDU, March 11
Tourist arrival has failed to rise in the past four years with Nepal unable to do any promotional work after the Nepal Tourism Year 2011. The number of tourists arriving by air has hovered just below 600,000 in the last four years. The number, that had crossed 500,000 in 2011 due to promotional events for the Nepal Tourism Year, has yet to reach 600,000.
Experts say Nepal have failed to attract more tourists during the period due to weak presence of the national flag-carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), and as the Nepal Tourism Board, responsible for tourism promotion, remained without chief for a long time. The number of tourists arriving by air has fallen by 0.3 percent (1,861) in 2014 to 585,981, as per the data provided three months late by the NTB. It had increased by 21.4 percent in 2011 while celebrating the Nepal Tourism Year, and 9.8 percent in 2012 but has fallen in the past two years.
Executive Director of the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) Prabesh Aryal says tourist arrival has not increased due to both domestic and external reasons. “The role of our tourism related bodies was weak while externally many source countries faced economic crisis. We should have looked for alternative countries in such condition but that was not possible due to our structure,” he adds. Claiming that the country’s tourism is sustained due to efforts of the private sector alone, he feels that it can take a huge leap with little efforts from the government.
Tourism entrepreneurs say ground for sustainable growth should be searched as the impact of Nepal Tourism Year has faded off. “Tourist arrival could be increased by a bit due to enthusiasm of everyone during celebration of the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 and also due to commitments from political parties. But there has been no marketing after that,” former general secretary of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travels Agents (NATTA) Achyut Guaragai says. “The NTB has gone beyond the spirit of its inception. Secretary and minister are busy visiting abroad. We cannot increase tourist arrival in such manner,” he adds.
A total of 544,985 tourists had visited by air in 2011. It was 598,204 in 2012 and 587,842, a fall of 1.7 percent, in 2013. Tourist arrival increased in the first few months of 2014 but it fell after June. The number of tourists coming from Pakistan, Chin and Japan increased during peak season but fell during monsoon. Tourist arrival was 61,464 in January, 50,414 in February, 55,809 in March, 68,081 in April, 51,105 in May, 41,137 in June, 35,997 in July, 40,042 in August, 37,660 in September, 57,385 in October, 47,712 in November and 39,282 in December.
Tourist Arrival
| Year | Number of Tourists | Growth Rate |
| 2010 | 488769 | — |
| 2011 | 544985 | 21.5% |
| 2012 | 598204 | 9.8% |
| 2013 | 587842 | -1.75% |
| 2014 | 585981 | -0.3% |
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