Nepal Tourism Industry 2018: USD 2.1 Bn Revenue, 1 Mn Jobs

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s annual research report, Nepal’s tourism sector generated revenue of NPR 240.7 billion and supported over 1.05 million jobs directly and indirectly in 2018.

The organization said that the country’s travel and tourism contributed to 7.9 percent of its GDP last year, up from 3.6 percent. The total contribution of Nepal’s travel and tourism sector to its GDP was NPR 195 billion.

These statistics shed light on the amount of economic activity generated by industries such as airlines, travel agencies, other transportation services hotels, leisure industries and restaurants.

According to the Travel and Tourism Economic Impact 2019 report released in April 2019, Nepal’s tourism industry is expected to create more than 1.35 million jobs directly and indirectly by 2029.

Overall, Nepal’s travel and tourism sector grew at 3.9 percent, contributing a record USD 8.8 trillion and 319 million jobs to the world economy in 2018. This growth percentage is noteworthy as it is higher than the world gross domestic product growth rate, for the eight years in the row.

As per the report, domestic tourists contributed to 56 percent of the total revenue of NPR 240.7 billion generated by the tourism industry in 2018.

Domestic Tourists Highest Contributors to Tourism Revenue

Nepal Tourism Board CEO Deepak Raj Joshi said that domestic tourists started touring Nepal after the 2015 earthquake and there is massive tourist movement.

The following are the areas of tourism that witnessed a sizeable number of domestic tourists:

• Besides traditional leisure destinations such as Pokhara and Chitwan, the Annapurna Circuit trekking route has become a major attraction for domestic tourists, who throng to the destination in huge numbers
• The number of sightseers by motorcycle has increased significantly in the Beni-Jomson region. The stretch becomes a favorite sightseeing destination after the construction of the road between the two points
• Lumbini, the birthplace of the divine Gautam Buddha draws scores of Nepalis every year. Over 1.55 million tourists visited Lumbini in 2017, out of which 1.25 million visitors were domestic ones
• Nepal’s biggest and deepest freshwater lake in Mugu, has also been attracting domestic visitors for the past few years. The destination has been recently gaining popularity among Nepalis

Nepal Achieves 1 Million Tourism Mark

The Himalayan nation recorded over 1 million foreign tourist visits to Nepal in 2018, when close to 1.17 million visitors from countries around the world. The figure was largely attributed to a jump in arrivals from China, India, Sri Lanka, US, and UK.

On an ending note, the report states the global tourism sector will create 100 million new jobs globally over the next 10 years, accounting for 421 million jobs per year.