Cultural Tourism and Nepal

This study examines the patterns and demands for cultural and religious tourism in Nepal. It also examinies significant markets to Nepal with the marketing share, and assesses hotel rooms available in Kathmandu Valley, as well as analyses tourist arrivals in Great Himalayan trail areas. Based upon secondary data collected mainly from Nepal Tourism Statistics published by the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs (MoTCA), the study revealed that the major markets in order of importance were India, China, Sri Lanka, USA, UK, Germany, France, Japan, and Australia. Not all the markets behave the same way as revealed by correlation analysis. For instance, the Japanese market is different as compared to the other markets. At present, the Great Himalayan Trail (GHT) route is visited by a small number of tourists but potential to develop GHT is high as it includes many temples, monasteries and cultural sites as well as superb natural scenery.