New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Major political parties in the fray for the March 5 Parliamentary election in Nepal, are expressing concern that the country – once a popular global tourist destination – has not been able to touch the pre-Covid number of visitors. Hence, they have pledged to work towards shoring up tourist arrivals to the nation, say media reports.
“Nepal has been receiving just over 1 million tourists annually over the past three years, and arrivals have yet to return to the pre-Covid level of 2019. Industry stakeholders cite recurring plane crashes, poor highway infrastructure and weak international promotion as key deterrents,” reported The Kathmandu Post on Thursday.
It named four major political parties as having placed tourism at the centre of their election manifestos, promising sweeping reforms in aviation safety, diplomatic efforts to secure additional air entry routes with India, and ambitious targets to double tourist arrivals and spending within five years.
A common thread running through the pledges is a commitment to remove Nepal from the European Commission’s air safety list and expand international flights from the country’s two new international airports, it added.
CPN-UML, led by former Prime Minister Oli, has prioritised tourism infrastructure development, market promotion, air service expansion, enhanced internal security and opening new destinations to double tourist arrivals within five years, emphasising “tourist safety first”.
The Nepali Communist Party, led by Oli’s predecessor Pushpa Kamal Dahal has pledged technical reforms in both Nepal Airlines and private carriers, along with legal measures to secure removal from the European Commission’s air safety list, while the Nepali Congress has foregrounded wellness and spiritual tourism in its manifesto.
The newly-formed Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has pledged to double both tourist numbers and their average spending within the next five years, while proposing technical and policy reforms.
Earlier reports cited data released by the Nepal Tourism Board in January as reflecting the country having achieved 97 per cent recovery compared to the pre-Covid number of tourist arrivals last year.
In numbers, 1,158,459 visitors were recorded by air between January-December 2025, against 1,147,548 arrivals recorded in the previous year, added the Board.
Among them were 292,438 Indian visitors who arrived in Nepal by air in 2025, recording eight per cent less number than that of the previous year.
Incidentally, in 2019, before the pandemic hit the country, Nepal received a total of 1,197,191 tourists by air. Indian tourists continue to lead international arrivals, particularly during major festivals and events, the Board had added in a separate statement.
“India remains Nepal’s largest source market, contributing 25–30 per cent of total international arrivals. Notably, January 2026 recorded a 30 per cent growth in Indian arrivals compared to January 2025, reflecting rising interest and renewed travel confidence,” it shared.
Earlier reports quoted Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board Deepak Raj Joshi in January attributing the decline in Indian visitors to the Gen Z protest of September last year, which toppled the K.P. Oli-led government, resulting in the deaths of 77 people.
He, however, told the media early this year that the overall tourist arrival was “good in 2025” despite the political unrest, as the country registered 1 per cent growth in global tourist arrivals by air.
Reiterating that India continues to be the largest source of foreign visitors to Nepal, he mentioned the share of Indian tourists in 2025 being at 35.2 per cent of the total arrivals, the highest among the world.
Among the top five countries that contributed to Nepal’s tourism after India last year was the United States with 112,316; China with 58,684; the United Kingdom with 57,545; and Bangladesh with 49,357 visitors.
–IANS
jb/rad
