Nepal received 1,162,365 tourists in 2025, a 1.3 percent increase compared to 2024, according to the Nepal Tourism Statistics 2025 report published by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. Of the total arrivals, 1,015,735 came by air and 146,630 by land. Land arrivals increased by 18.6 percent, while air arrivals slightly declined by 0.8 percent.

The report shows that tourists stayed longer in Nepal in 2025. The average length of stay increased from 13.3 days in 2024 to 16.34 days in 2025. Tourism earnings also rose, with total tourism income reaching around Rs. 87.37 billion, up from Rs. 83.39 billion in 2024. However, average daily spending per tourist declined from USD 40.8 to USD 33.09, showing that longer stays did not translate into higher daily spending.

Holiday and leisure travel remained the main reason for visiting Nepal, accounting for around 60.2 percent of total arrivals. Pilgrimage made up 14.4 percent, trekking and mountaineering 14.2 percent, and other purposes 11.2 percent. India remained Nepal’s largest tourist source market with about 293,000 visitors, followed by the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Australia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Germany and Japan.

The report also shows strong activity in mountaineering and tourism infrastructure. In 2025, Nepal issued permits to 2,590 expedition teams involving 9,820 climbers, while mountaineering royalty collection increased to about Rs. 1.26 billion. Lumbini received 1,113,696 visitors, including Nepali, Indian and third-country tourists. Tourism services also expanded, with 222 star hotels, 1,383 non-star tourist-standard hotels, 64,134 beds, 5,099 travel agencies, 3,332 trekking agencies, 5,466 tourist guides and 27,962 trekking guides recorded in the sector.