KATHMANDU, Feb. 29 -- Nepal's tourism sector could experience growth by attracting a percentage of tourists from neighboring India and China.

Every year, around 200 million nationals from China and 100 million from India travel abroad. Businessmen stated that redirecting just 2 to 3 percent of these tourists to Nepal would significantly benefit the country's tourism sector.

The majority of visitors to Nepal are Indian nationals. In 2023, a total of 319,936 Indian tourists arrived in Nepal by air, which accounts for 31.52 percent of the total tourists visiting Nepal. The figure is an increase of five percent compared to the period before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the data of the Department of Tourism.

Binayak Shah, President o...