Domestic tourist activity surged in Nepal during the October 2026 Dashain festival, significantly filling hotel rooms and trekking routes across the country. Popular destinations including Pokhara, Chitwan, Mustang, Manang, Rara, Lumbini, and Bandipur experienced heavy domestic visitation. Trekking routes such as Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal, Langtang, and Everest Base Camp saw increased local tourist presence, with hotel occupancy in key areas like Pokhara, Chitwan, Dhulikhel, and Nagarkot reaching between 80 to 100 percent, driven by targeted Dashain packages.
Decline in Foreign Tourist Arrivals Linked to Natural Disasters
Foreign tourist arrivals declined in the same period as continuous rain, floods and landslides in late September 2026 damaged several trekking
routes and restricted access to popular tourist areas. The Manaslu trekking route was notably obstructed due to floods in Manang, Mustang, and the Budhi Gandaki corridor. Tourists planning to trek Manaslu diverted to Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal, Poon Hill, and Khopra. The damage led to overcrowding on these alternative routes. Snowballing international reports exaggerated the scope of the floods, damaging Nepal’s image abroad and reducing foreign bookings, especially among Europeans.
Impact of International Messaging and Tourism Promotion
Negative international perceptions stemming from persistent flood and landslide warnings created apprehension in global markets. The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) was unable to effectively counter this narrative due to
a five-and-a-half-month leadership vacuum and delayed budget approval, which was only granted roughly a month before Dashain. This weaker crisis communication disrupted promotional efforts, contributing to the drop in foreign arrivals. The NTB’s capacity to reassure international travelers about Nepal’s safety and normalized tourism conditions was significantly impaired during the main tourist season.
Official Perspectives on Challenges and Capacity
Industry representatives noted that the surge in domestic tourists challenged local service providers who managed both local and reduced foreign travelers. The Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) acknowledged increased hotel infrastructure but stressed that foreign tourist numbers did not match capacity expansion. The former NTB CEO confirmed that
the sector anticipated an 18 to 20 percent rise in foreign arrivals during the main season, which was not realized due to adverse weather and insufficient communication. While Indian tourists continued arriving normally over land routes during Dashain and Tihar, domestic travel enthusiasm was subdued due to a national mourning period following the floods.
Traveler and Institutional Effects
European tourists canceled some advance bookings after flood news spread internationally. Conversely, Indian arrivals by land remained steady. Domestic tourism, although robust in absolute terms, experienced a muted response compared to previous years due to the emotional impact of the recent natural disasters. The NTB’s prolonged
leadership gap and late budget approval delayed international marketing activities. The Ministry of Tourism sanctioned pending promotion plans, but the lack of executive leadership and a fully operational budget hindered timely and effective deployment of promotional campaigns during the peak season.
The Dashain 2026 tourism market in Nepal demonstrated a clear growth in domestic visitor numbers, which partially offset the shortfall in foreign arrivals. The natural disasters’ physical damage to trekking routes coupled with amplified international disaster perceptions and organizational weaknesses in the NTB inhibited foreign tourist growth despite improved hotel infrastructure and ongoing domestic interest in travel during the
festival period.
