Domestic tourism in Nepal rose sharply during the Dashain festival in October 2026, bolstering activity at popular tourist destinations across the country. Major sites including Pokhara, Chitwan, Mustang, Manang, Rara, Lumbini, and Bandipur saw significant domestic visitor numbers. Trekking routes such as Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal, Langtang, and Everest Base Camp attracted an increased number of young domestic trekkers, according to representatives of Nepal’s tourism sector.
Floods and Landslides Disrupt Foreign Tourist Routes
Heavy rains, floods, and landslides in late September 2026 obstructed several trekking routes, notably in Manang, Mustang, and the Budhi Gandaki corridor. The Manaslu trekking path was damaged and closed, forcing tourists to
redirect to unaffected routes including Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal, Poon Hill, and Khopra. Exaggerated international news coverage of flood damage negatively affected foreign tourist confidence, with many potential visitors canceling plans due to fears stemming from these natural disasters.
Hotel Occupancies Reach Near Full Capacity Due to Domestic Demand
Hotel and resort occupancy rates in key tourist hubs such as Pokhara, Chitwan, Dhulikhel, and Nagarkot ranged between 80% and 100% during the Dashain festival period. This high occupancy resulted largely from the surge in domestic tourists taking advantage of festival travel packages tailored to local travelers. While foreign tourist bookings suffered declines, domestic visitors maintained strong demand across Nepal’s
hotel sector.
Foreign Tourist Arrivals Drop Due to Natural Disasters and Weak Promotion
Despite expectations for an 18 to 20 percent rise in foreign tourist arrivals in the main 2026 season, actual numbers fell short. The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) experienced a leadership vacuum, with its CEO position vacant for five and a half months and its budget approved just one month before Dashain. These challenges, combined with weak crisis communication and negative international media reports, contributed to a decline in foreign bookings. European tourists notably canceled trips, while arrivals from India via land routes remained steady.
Tourism Sector Faces Leadership and Communication Challenges
The absence of a Nepal Tourism Board CEO and delayed budget approval disrupted marketing
efforts ahead of the peak travel period. NTB’s limited promotion and lack of timely crisis communication allowed exaggerated reports of flood impacts to dominate the international narrative. Although the government declared 2027 as Wellness Tourism Year, as of October 2026 no secretariat was formed and no dedicated budget was allocated for the initiative, hampering forward planning.
Industry experts confirmed the tourism market struggled to meet its expected foreign arrival growth due to the combination of natural disasters, international geopolitical tensions, and weak promotional activities. Domestic tourism remained a critical support for the sector, but business stakeholders also highlighted the difficulties
of managing overlapping surges of domestic visitors and those foreign tourists who still traveled during the disruption period.
Emotional effects from the recent natural disasters resulted in subdued enthusiasm among Nepali domestic tourists despite their increased numbers. The country was in a state of national mourning for lives and property lost, which dampened some traditional festival travel sentiment. However, tourists from neighboring India continued normal entry by land during Dashain, contrasting with the cancellations seen among European visitors.
