Last month, a total of 23,266 foreign visitors came to Nepal, compared with 21,203 in the same period last year. “This increase in the arrivals establishes the fact that historically tourism has demonstrated remarkable resilience and has emerged from past crises stronger and healthier,” states a press statement issued by the Nepal Tourism Board.
Ever since the beginning of 2009, there have been fluctuations in the tourist arrival figures. In the first three months of 2009, tourist arrivals fell, confirming travel entrepreneurs´ fears that global economic slowdown, which began last fall, would have harsh impact on Nepal´s tourism sector. Then in April, the arrivals went up, bucking the trend forecast by many. But again the number of incoming tourists fell by five percent in May, sending jitters among travel entrepreneurs. For the last two months, the arrivals have been increasing, pumping confidence among everyone engaged in tourism industry.
Last month, arrivals from every sector, including Asia, Eupore and the Americas posted positive growth. Remarkable among these is the rise in the number of Japanese tourist. So far this year, tourist arrivals from Japan had been posting negative growths, as the country witnessed mass layoffs due to the financial crisis. However, for the first time this year, arrivals from Japan went up by 16 percent to 821 in July.
Among others, arrivals from India went up by five percent to 7,664. Arrivals from the UK and the US also increased by 42 percent and 13 percent, respectively, to 1,908 and 1,720. Nepal´s major markets in western Europe like France and Spain also registered a positive growth of 14 percent and 10 percent respectively.
“Europeans are becoming more optimistic about better economic prospects, as latest economic outlooks give a picture of Europe slowly rising out of the crisis,” a source at NTB told myrepublica.com on condition of anonymity. “This is reviving their confidence level and making them less thrifty.”
Among others, Chinese arrivals have increased by 16 percent, along with Australia (28 percent), Canada (34 percent), Thailand (94 percent), South Korea (three percent) and Singapore (four percent).
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