January 3: The government had declared 2020 as Visit Nepal Year with the target of welcoming 2 million tourists to the country. However, only 230,000 tourists visited Nepal during the period. The arrival of tourists did not meet the government’s expectations due to the coronavirus pandemic that surfaced during the start of 2020.

The arrival of tourists declined by 80 percent in 2020 compared to the figures of the previous year. In 2019, a total of 1,197,000 had visited Nepal while 1,172,072 tourists had arrived in the country in 2018.

Nepal could not meet the target set for the Visit Nepal Year as the impact of coronavirus was felt across the globe. Nepal’s tourism industry, which was slowly getting back on track after the earthquakes of 2015, suffered another setback due to the pandemic. The arrival of tourists came to a complete halt last year due to the ban on international flights for nine months in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

According to the Department of Immigration, maximum number of tourists arrived in Nepal from India in 2020. The number of Indian tourists who visited Nepal during the review period is 25,320. Similarly, a total of 9809 tourists arrived from China followed by 9,682 from the USA, 9518 from Thailand and 9400 from Myanmar.

Out of the total 230,000 tourists who visited Nepal in 2020, 183,130 arrived from air route via Tribhuvan International Airport while the remaining 46,955 tourists arrived through land route.

The government had to postpone the Visit Nepal Year due to the impact of coronavirus. Tourism entrepreneurs say that it will take some more years for the battered tourism industry to return back to the previous state.

Stating that the year 2020 was an exception, they have demanded revitalizing the tourism sector by allowing tourists who fulfill health standards set by the government.

Although the arrival of tourists took a nosedive due to the impact of coronavirus, some high-profile visits during the pandemic year has raised hopes of better prospects in the coming days.

The tourism industry, which had come to a standstill, is clawing back to its feet thanks to the mountaineering sector. Some VVIPs visited Nepal for mountain expeditions amid coronavirus pandemic much to the delight of the beleaguered industry. Stakeholders say this has given a positive message to the tourism industry.