Kathmandu, Jan 1 (NationPress) In 2025, Nepal welcomed over 1.15 million foreign visitors, marking a modest increase from 2024, as reported by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) on Thursday.

The Himalayan nation recorded 1,158,459 foreign tourists in 2025, a slight rise from 1,147,548 in the previous year, equating to an increase of merely one percent, according to NTB data.

Despite this minor uptick, the recovery process is lagging behind pre-Covid numbers. In 2019, before the pandemic struck, Nepal had an impressive 1,197,191 foreign tourists, as per NTB statistics.

The tourism sector faced significant challenges due to the Gen-Z protests in early September, during which numerous hotels were vandalized, just as the industry was beginning to bounce back from the pandemic.

The protests resulted in 77 fatalities and inflicted damages exceeding NPR 84 billion on government and private properties, according to a report from a government study committee.

Major international hotel chains, including Hyatt Regency and Hilton, suffered extensive damage during the unrest. The Hilton was completely destroyed by fire, while the Hyatt is currently undergoing maintenance. This situation led the World Bank to foresee a sharp decline in tourist arrivals in the upcoming months. However, contrary to predictions, arrivals did not decrease as anticipated.

India remained the largest source of visitors, contributing 292,438 tourists. Indian tourists represented 25.2 percent of total foreign arrivals in 2025, according to the NTB.

The United States followed with 112,316 visitors, trailed by China with 95,480.

The United Kingdom ranked fourth with 58,684 tourists, while Bangladesh took fifth place with 57,545 visitors.

Although India was the largest contributor of tourists in 2025, the overall influx from the neighboring country decreased by 8 percent, as noted by the NTB. Visitor numbers from China also dipped by 6.3 percent.

In the aftermath of the Gen-Z protests, which inflicted substantial damage on hotel properties, the World Bank reiterated its forecast of a steep drop in foreign tourist arrivals. Consequently, the country witnessed an 18.3 percent year-on-year decline in tourist numbers in September. However, a slight improvement was observed in October and November compared to the previous year, based on NTB findings.

The NTB also reported that during the initial five months of the current fiscal year 2025-26, which began in mid-July 2025, Nepal attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) commitments amounting to NPR 30,263 million across 476 projects.