Domestic tourism contributes 2.65 pc to Nepal's GDP: NSO report

KATHMANDU: Domestic tourism in Nepal contributed 2.65% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), the National Statistics Office (NSO) said on Thursday in the release of the national report on 'Domestic Tourism Survey, 2025'.

The report shows that 3.621 million of the country’s 6.91 million households, or 52.4%, engaged in tourism activities at least once during the survey period, while 47.6% did not participate in tourism. That equates to 523 tourist households for every 477 non‑tourist households.

Shopping was the main motive for same‑day domestic travel, accounting for 32.6% of trips, followed by health treatments and family visits at 20.1% each. Visiting friends and relatives accounted for 65.5% of overnight domestic travel.

Overnight domestic travellers stayed an average of 5.33 days, and residents made an average of 4.81 trips per year. Sudurpashchim Province and Madhesh Province recorded the longest average stays at 8.18 days, while Gandaki Province recorded the highest annual travel frequency at 6.26 visits. Kathmandu, Chitwan and Kaski were the most popular overnight destinations.

Household spending on tourism totalled Rs 459.05 billion. Domestic overnight travel accounted for Rs 304.44 billion and domestic same‑day travel for Rs 90.98 billion. Outbound tourism expenditure comprised Rs 47.97 billion for overnight trips and Rs 15.67 billion for same‑day trips, with shopping and religious visits the dominant outbound intentions. Health treatments had the largest share of spending per trip at 31.78%.

The NSO’s economic analysis estimates total tourism consumption at Rs 407.17 billion and Gross Value Added at Rs 144.49 billion. Measured against a GDP of Rs 5,454 billion for the fiscal year 2024/25, domestic tourism represents a 2.65% share of the economy.

The NSO said the statistics provide a baseline for tourism policy, infrastructure development and employment planning.