Nepal sees Indians as top air tourists in June

Indians remained the largest group of foreign tourists visiting Nepal by air in June, with 41,809 arrivals, registering a 28 per cent increase over the corresponding month last year, according to official data released on Thursday.

Nepal received a total of 91,363 foreign tourists by air during the month, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said.

The number of Indian visitors rose from 32,662 in June last year to 41,809 this year, it said. During the first six months of 2026, Nepal received 177,159 Indian tourists by air, up 19.27 per cent from 148,540 during the corresponding period last year, the NTB said.

The US was the second-largest source of visitors in June with 11,836 arrivals, followed by China at 9,995, Bangladesh at 4,322 and the UK at 2,500, it said. Overall, Nepal welcomed 620,426 foreign tourists between January and June this year, recording a 7 per cent increase over the same period in 2025.

Mani R Lamichhane, Senior Director of the Nepal Tourism Board, said the increase in the number of Indian visitors in recent months can be attributed to high temperatures in Indian cities, long holidays in educational institutions and the Government of India’s efforts to encourage domestic and regional travel to reduce foreign exchange outflow.

He said escalating tensions in the Middle East and the resultant rise in international airfares had also prompted many Indian travellers to opt for Nepal as a convenient and affordable holiday destination.

Lamichhane added that aggressive promotional campaigns by Nepal’s tourism industry, extensive social media outreach and travel content created by Indian bloggers and influencers have further boosted tourist arrivals.

Besides air travellers, hundreds of thousands of Indian visitors have also entered Nepal by road this year, particularly to pilgrimage and tourist destinations such as Pokhara, Muktinath and Ghandruk, using private vehicles for religious visits, sightseeing and adventure tourism.