The Nepalese government is intensifying efforts to increase foreign tourist arrivals by enhancing international promotion and adopting effective digital marketing strategies. Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey, announced the government’s commitment to policy transformation aimed at guiding Nepal’s tourism sector towards sustainable growth.
Speaking at the 26th anniversary of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), Minister Pandey revealed that the government is in the final stages of drafting a new tourism policy. He urged the NTB to embrace the public-private partnership (PPP) model and prioritize impactful international promotional programs and digital marketing initiatives.
According to NTB statistics, Nepal welcomed 1,147,024 foreign tourists in 2024, with December alone seeing 89,765 arrivals. The board expects the annual figure to reach approximately 1.15 million after including the last day of the year. This is a significant recovery, nearing the pre-pandemic peak of 1.197 million tourists in 2019.
Minister Pandey highlighted the importance of promoting Nepal’s unique tourism offerings in the international market. He emphasized Nepal’s rich diversity, encompassing its multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-cultural heritage, as well as its geographic variety. He stressed the need to preserve unity, tolerance, and harmony within this diversity to develop and expand the tourism sector.
State Minister for Tourism, Arun Kumar Chaudhary, underscored the potential of the tourism industry to drive Nepal’s economic development. He called for collaborative efforts from all stakeholders to realize this goal.
Tourism Ministry Secretary, Dr. Ganesh Prasad Pandey, urged the NTB to focus on infrastructure development, technological integration, and the creation of skilled human resources to support the growing demands of the tourism sector.
Board Member Rishi Bhandari emphasized the need for NTB to lead dynamic promotional efforts while ensuring the involvement of all stakeholders. Similarly, NTB’s Chief Executive Officer, Deepak Raj Joshi, shared optimism about the sector’s recovery, stating that Nepal has achieved a 96% recovery rate in tourist arrivals compared to pre-pandemic levels, reflecting the global trend of a 97% recovery.
The event also included the release of NTB’s annual publication, InFocus, and concluded with the distribution of prizes and certificates to winners of sports competitions organized as part of the anniversary celebrations.
Chairperson of the NTB Employee Organization, Kundan Mishra, called for policy reforms to strengthen the organization’s internal structure, emphasizing the need for sustained institutional development to support Nepal’s tourism resurgence.
