Indian tourists throng Kathmandu as Nepal tries to recover from Gen-Z protests

Kathmandu: Heavy damage to several hotel properties during Gen-Z protests in early September does not appear to have dented foreign tourists’ enthusiasm for visiting Nepal, as the country welcomed over one million foreign visitors by November this year.

According to statistics released by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) Monday, Nepal received a total of 1,060,269 foreign tourists from January to November 2025. This figure represents a marginal increase compared to the same period in 2024, when the country welcomed 1,055,520 foreign visitors.

After the Gen-Z protests in early September, which left several hotel properties damaged, the World Bank had predicted a sharp decline in foreign tourist arrivals. Foreign-branded hotels, including the Hyatt Regency and Hilton, were severely affected during the violent protests. The Hilton was burnt to the ground, while the Hyatt remains closed for maintenance.

As a result, Nepal saw an 18.3 per cent year-on-year decline in tourist arrivals in September. However, arrivals in October and November improved marginally on a year-on-year basis, according to the NTB. In November, Nepal received 116,553 foreign tourists, a rise of 1.8 per cent, the NTB said.

India remained the largest source market during the period, with 262,345 Indian tourists visiting Nepal, followed by the United States with 105,239. China ranked third with 86,800 visitors.

The United Kingdom and Bangladesh completed the list of the top five source markets, sending 54,450 and 50,940 tourists respectively during the first 11 months of 2025.

During the period, Nepal received fewer tourists from both India and China, which hampered growth prospects. Compared to the first 11 months of 2024, Indian arrivals decreased by 4.6 per cent, while Chinese arrivals fell by 16.8 per cent.

Arrivals from the United States increased marginally, while the number of Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan tourists grew significantly, according to the NTB.

Before the pandemic, China was Nepal’s second-largest tourist source market after India, but arrivals from the northern neighbour have yet to fully recover, NTB data show.