Nepal Tourism Earnings Touch Record Rs.52.58 Billion Last Year

Nepal has been capable of earning a record Ts. 58.52 billion in foreign exchange from the tourism industry in the last fiscal year 2016 to 2017 that ended mid-July, as per the latest figures released by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB).

The statistics portrays a sharp 40% jump from the last fiscal year.

The nation had received about 845,147 tourists in the last fiscal year. Nepal's annual foreign exchange earnings from tourism are calculated by adding the tourist service charge collected at the airport as well as the money earned from tourism agencies among other places. The calculation is also based on the data retrieved from money changers.

Tourism expert Hari Sarmah said that people are aware of the significance of marketing in the tourism industry.

And, without a doubt, the conventional marketing processes have undergone a transformation luring a greater number of tourists to Nepal. Following the 2015 quake, two major alterations impacted the industry: the private sector entered the driving seat and entrepreneurs dived into digital marketing.

The Nepal Tourism Board also played a crucial role in the promotion of Nepal post-2015 earthquake.

He went on to add that the impact was reflected in tourist arrivals and also the revenue growth. Sarmah said that the poor condition of Tribhuvan International Airport and the inability of Nepal Airlines to raise its services continued to be deterrents to the growth of the regional tourism industry.

The visitor arrivals to Nepal escalated by as much as 41.50% to 460,237 individuals in the initial half of 2017. Therefore, it brought about some expectations that the total figure is likely to soon hit the 1-million mark by the end of the year.

The Department of Immigration of Nepal said that it welcomed 134,988 more tourists in the first six months of 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016. And, a majority of the increase can be attributed to a surge in tourist arrivals from China, UK, US and India.

The peak tourist season commences only in September.

Tourism bosses are certain that the tourist arrivals would hit the 1-million mark this year.

The president of the Nepal Association of Tour Operators, Ashok Pokhrel said that digital media had gone a long way in adding a Midas touch to tourism marketing.