Norwegians are the longest staying tourists in Nepal.

Norwegian tourists spent an average of 23.74 days followed by the tourists from US with 22.40 days, and Australia with 21.03 days in Nepal in 2013, according to Nepal Tourism Statistics 2013 released by the Tourism Ministry yesterday. “However, tourists from Norway used to spend 25.49 days in 2012.”

The tourists from the US spent 22.40 days, it said, adding that Nepal received some 47,355 visitors from the US in 2013. “Among them some 37,318 were first time visitors, whereas some 27,242 Americans visited for holiday and 7,686 for trekking and mountaineering.

Likewise, the highest number of tourists from the UK visited Nepal for trekking and mountaineering followed by the US. “There were some 35,668 British visitors last year who spent an average of 20.25 days in Nepal,” the report added.

Though, arrivals from India and China increased last year, they had the shortest length of stay, the ministry data revealed, adding that on an average Indian tourists spent 8.67 days whereas Chinese tourists spent 9.48 days in Nepal in 2013. “Indians length of stay has dropped from 9.34 days in a year, while length of stay of Chinese tourists rose 9.48 days in 2013 from 8.82 days a year ago. However, Indian tourist arrivals reached 180,974 in 2013. Of them some 167,282 arrived by air and the rest by road.”

Of the total Indian arrivals, some 64,367 visited Nepal for holiday, some 23,125 for pilgrimage and 21,193 for official purpose, it added.

The likes of Indian tourists has seen the change as they have been gradually shifting to trekking and mountaineering activities in Nepal. “The number of Indian trekkers and mountaineers doubled to 6,386 last year from 3,430 in 2012,” the report said, adding that some 79 per cent of Indian tourists visited Nepal for the first time last year.

The ministry’s data also revealed that Nepal received 113,173 Chinese visitors last year. Surprisingly, 93 per cent of the Chinese tourists were first time visitors. The report said that around 80 per cent of the Chinese arrivals – some 89,827 individuals – visited Nepal for holiday and pleasure, followed by trekking and business.

Length of stay

Country – Average stay

Norway – 23.74 days

USA – 22.40 days

Australia – 21.03 days

Pakistan – 21.00 days

Belgium – 20.50 days

Switzerland – 20.32 days

United Kingdom – 20.25 days

Canada – 19.51 days

Denmark – 19.36 days

New Zealand – 18.76 days

(Source: Tourism Ministry, Nepal Tourism Statistics 2013)

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