Tourism in Nepal

[1] Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world (8,848.86m above the sea level), is located in Nepal.

According to statistics from Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), a total of 1,197,191 foreign tourists entered the country in 2019 as compared to 1,173,072 in 2018.

Tourists who come from the USA, UK, France, Spain, India, and Germany have a main target of activity: mountain climbing.

Nepal ratified the convention on 20 June 1978, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list.

Chitwan National Park was listed in 1984, and Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha according to Buddhist tradition, was added in 1997.

According to Nepal's Ministry of Tourism, major tourist activities include wilderness and adventure activities such as mountain biking, bungee jumping, rock climbing and mountain climbing, trekking, hiking, bird watching, flights, paragliding and hot air ballooning over the mountains of Himalaya, exploring the waterways by raft, kayak or canoe and jungle safaris especially in the Terai region.

In 2018, research into global volunteering behaviour identified Nepal as one of the world’s ten most popular destinations for orphanage voluntourism.

[10] Leading responsible tourism and child welfare organisations agree that it is irresponsible for short term and/or untrained international volunteers to work in orphanages.

[13] Out of the 75 districts in the country, most registered orphanages and children’s homes are found in the five most-visited by tourists (Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kaski, and Chitwan).

[14] Orphanages attract well-meaning tourists who want to volunteer their time and donate money, unaware that they are supporting an industry exploiting impoverished families.

[17] The ChildSafe Movement reports instances of orphanages keeping children in impoverished conditions to attract more donors.

[14] ECPAT has also identified a link between orphanage tourism, and an increase in child sexual exploitation by foreigners and volunteers.

[15] In 2007, the number of international tourists visiting Nepal was 526,705, which was an increase of 37.2% compared to the previous year.