CHITWAN, July 23: Hotel entrepreneur Gunaraj Thapaliya from Sauraha had no reason to feel disappointed two years ago. His hotel, which had once fallen silent during the earthquake, blockade, and COVID-19 pandemic, remained full throughout the year. However, the same could not be said for the last fiscal year. “It was even worse than during the earthquake or blockade. We received the fewest tourists last year. Less than 50 percent of our rooms were occupied,” Thapaliya said, “Not even during the pandemic had it been this bad.”
There has been a notable drop in the number of tourists visiting Chitwan National Park. Compared to Fiscal Year (FY) 2023/24, the number of tourists decreased by 75,508 in FY 2024/25—a decline of 25 percent. FY 2023/24 had recorded the highest number of visitors to the park to date.
According to Abhinash Thapamagar, information officer at the park, a total of 306,837 tourists visited the park in FY 2023/241. In the last fiscal year, which ended on July 16, that number fell to 231,329. Of those, 117,206 were domestic tourists.
Over 63,000 travelled to Chitwan National Park in 6 months
The poor condition of roads leading to Chitwan is believed to be one of the main reasons for the drop. “The road from the capital is in poor condition, and the Narayangadh–Butwal stretch is equally bad,” Thapa Magar said, “Infrastructure issues may have also contributed to the decline.” A fall in the number of international tourists has also been noted.
Compared to FY 2023/24, there were 16,428 fewer foreign tourists in FY 2024/25. In FY 2023/24, a total of 130,551 foreign tourists visited the park, while only 114,123 did so last year. Among the foreign visitors, 24,800 were from SAARC nations and 89,323 from other countries. In contrast, the previous fiscal year saw 36,471 tourists from SAARC nations and 94,050 from other countries.
November saw the highest number of visitors to Chitwan National Park, with 32,252 tourists. The lowest was in July, with only 7,309 visitors. The park collected Rs 338.6 million in revenue during the last fiscal year. Meanwhile, in FY 2022/23, a total of 299,412 tourists entered the park, meaning the number of foreign tourists increased that year.
The lowest figures over the last ten years were recorded in FY 2015/16, with 87,391 visitors, and in FY 2020/21, during the pandemic, with 98,228 visitors. In recent years, more domestic tourists have visited the park compared to foreign visitors. However, international tourist numbers have been gradually increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government is currently marking a decade of tourism until 2030, with a target of attracting 2 million foreign tourists annually. Out of that, Chitwan National Park is expected to receive around 400,000 tourists each year. To support this goal, local entrepreneurs have launched campaigns such as “Let’s Visit Sauraha” and “Bharatpur Tourism Year.”
Chitwan currently has hotels with the capacity to accommodate 15,000 tourists. However, with the decline in visitors, hotel operators are growing concerned. Dhruba Giri, chairperson of the Restaurant and Bar Association (REBAN) Sauraha, said the drop in tourist numbers to the national park has severely impacted tourism businesses in Sauraha. He said that the temporary halt of night flights at the Tribhuvan International Airport and the poor road conditions connecting Chitwan to major cities have contributed significantly to the decline.
