Impact of COVID-19 on International Tourist Arrivals in Nepal (2015–2024)

 

The​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ travel industry has rarely suffered such a blow as it did with the COVID-19 pandemic. W ith the virus outbreak in the early part of 2020, nearly all countries closed their doors to the world, stopped international flights, and imposed hard lockdowns. Due to these measures, people lost the ability to travel at their will. Hence, worldwide tourism shrank by over 70%, the hospitality sector and airlines went into deep financial red, and the workforce of the tourism sector, in millions, was turned into layoffs. The destinations that once attracted most travelers, such as Europe, America, and Southeast Asia, witnessed the massive decline of their visitors and then their economies.

COVID-19​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ hit Nepal really hard, even double compared to many other countries. Over the years, tourism has been one of the major industries in Nepal that has sustained thousands of families guides, porters, hotel owners, travel companies, airlines, and local markets. After the borders were closed and international flights stopped, the number of tourists visiting Nepal dropped from over 1.19 million in 2019 to just 230,000 in 2020, and even fewer in 2021. There were no crowds on popular trekking trails of Mount Everest Base Camp, Annapurna, and Langtang. Climbers canceled mountaineering expeditions, and many guesthouses and restaurants closed up. Because Nepal is very reliant on foreign tourists for income, the economic loss was much more severe and difficult than other countries. The tourism sector in Nepal was still struggling when the rest of the world was slowly getting back to normal, due to limited flights, the slow reopening, and strict safety ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌regulations. 

Nepal is situated between two countries India and China . Although it is Sandwich between international powers, conflicts have not happened between any , and peace remains. Nepal is a country of various castes and cultures. In other words, it is like a beautiful garden of flowers with people of different ethnicity and backgrounds .

Nepal is not only unique for its flag but also its geographical terrain, the variety of castes and cultures you can find , and the rich history of it . It is the land of various great places and important figures that people know far and wide . The temperature here spans from cool to hot and is a heaven for residing it .

Our country is very rich in its geographical terrain. From the lowest point of just 70 meters from sea level to the world’s highest peak Mt. Everest ( 8848.86 meters) , we have temperature scales that very from place to place . It is divided into three regions, Terai, Hilly , and Himalayas each according to their altitude and geographical difference.

Out of the world’s top 10 highest peaks, 8 of them fall in Nepal . It is already a great pride to have come from such a country. The diverse flora and fauna, beautiful landscapes and green jungles, historical and religious places in Nepal are enough to gather the attention of foreigners and locals too . People from all over the world pay thousands of dollars just to see our country’s mountains, rivers, waterfall, the rich flora and fauna , and sites of great religious and his historical importance. Gautam Buddha is also a founder of Buddhism which is practiced worldwide was also born in Nepal . Buddhism is known to peace and non- violence and we love everyone.

 

Why arrivals changed (before vs after COVID): Nepal’s‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ tourist arrival patterns have been extremely distinguishable of the two different periods separated by the pandemic. Each‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ year, the number of foreigners who came to Nepal from 2015 to 2019 has been rising steadily as of this writing (until October 2023), the main reasons were Nepal's developing flight connections, the country's adventure tourism promotion, more liberal visa policies, and a stable political environment. With all these facts combined, Nepal was able to attract around 1.2 million tourists in 2019. After that, the tourism scenario changed radically during 2020 and 2021 due to the following reasons: Most of the year, the global travel industry was almost at a standstill because of border closures, flights that were grounded/unused, lockdowns that were strictly enforced and the fear of catching COVID-19. That is why these were the main factors that led to the great decrease of tourists in Nepal to whom the number of tourists was limited and decreased to 230,890 in 2020 and even fewer tourists in 2021. Following all that, the recovery took place after the international travel restrictions were ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌relaxed. From 2022 on, borders were reopened, airlines started operations again, travelers who had put off their trips were coming, and the government and private-sector tourism campaigns were going on to give a strong wake-up call. By the year 2023 Nepal was able to get back most of her pre-pandemic inflow, and the very first data for 2024 indicates that the number of visitors is near to the pre-COVID-19 levels. In particular, the reopening of the trekking routes and the mountaineering activities, in addition to the return of the main source markets such as India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, have paved the way for the revival.

What caused the differences in speed of recovery: The‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ speed at which Nepal's tourism business got back on its feet after the pandemic was different in various areas and was influenced by numerous factors interconnected. Visitors started flowing from countries that reopened earlier, especially India, which is the largest and nearest market of Nepal, and this is what gave the recovery a shove. Slowly, as the international airlines restored their routes and added more seats, more travelers got to come back. At the same time, the tourists' view of safety, travel advisories, and even the occasional political uncertainty affected the groups which decided to come to Nepal. Therefore, these factors had a different impact on the revival of the arrival rate from the different ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌markets. In‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ order to make the tourism sector less vulnerable to shocks in the future, Nepal requires long-term strategies which not only focus on the structural aspects but also the operational ones. By taking the promotion outside the few traditional markets, the country can lessen the risk of being affected by a global crisis. Hence, apart from having health and safety standards that are clear and better air connectivity, Nepal can attract more tourists through the creation of new tourism products-fresh need for eco-tourism, communities-based experiences, or even visiting during the off-season. On the other hand, strengthening digital systems, workforce training, and provision of financial support during the crisis will be a source of businesses' and employees' resilience when the industry is hit with an unforeseen ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌shock.

Saru Bhujel