SATV, Kathmandu, July 3: Nepali households spent an estimated Rs. 459 billion on tourism-related activities a year, underscoring growing economic significance of domestic travel, according to the Domestic Tourism Survey-2025 released by National Statistics Office on Thursday.

The survey, Nepal's first comprehensive nationwide assessment of domestic tourism based on the internationally recognised Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) framework, estimates that domestic tourism contributed 2.65 per cent to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the fiscal year 2024/25.

Of the total household tourism expenditure, around Rs. 395.42 billion was spent on domestic tourism, while Rs. 63.64 billion was spent on outbound (external) tourism.

Of the domestic tourism expenditure, approximately Rs. 304.44 billion was spent on overnight trips and Rs. 90.98 billion on same-day trips. Similarly, under outbound tourism, Rs. 47.97 billion was spent on overnight trips, while Rs. 15.67 billion was spent on same-day trips.

In terms of purpose, 31.78 per cent of the total expenditure was made on health-related trips, which is the highest share. 

The share of expenditure on volunteering, migration and other purpose trips is only 0.8 per cent. Among the expenditure headings, 26 per cent was spent on shopping, which is the highest share. The share of expenditure on adventure activities is only 0.04 per cent.

The survey also found that 68.7 per cent of transport expenditure was incurred on public transportation, indicating that public transport remains the primary mode of travel for domestic tourists. 

On average, Nepalis spent Rs. 11,922 per trip, while health-related travel recorded the highest average expenditure at Rs. 23,516 per trip.

More than half households travelled

The findings suggest that tourism is increasingly being driven by Nepali travellers, with more than half of the country's households participating in tourism activities at least once during the year.

According to the survey, 3.62 million households, or 52.4 per cent of Nepal's 6.91 million households, undertook at least one tourism trip during the reference period and are classified as "tourist households." 

The remaining 3.29 million households (47.6 per cent) did not make any tourism visits.

The survey was conducted using a sample of 5,328 households selected from 444 census tracts across the country.

It covered both domestic and outbound tourism, including overnight and same-day visits, travel purpose, duration, frequency, expenditure and tourism-related consumption.

There are 523 tourist households and 477 non-tourist households per 1,000 households. 

Average stay exceeds five days

The average duration of domestic visits staying overnight is 5.33 days, and a tourist makes such visits on average 4.81 times a year.

Provincially, Sudurpaschim Province has the longest average stay at 8.18 days. Madhes Province also has the same average stay at 8.18 days. 

In terms of visit frequency, Gandaki Province leads with an average number of visits per year of 6.26. In Sudurpaschim Province, this number is 3.32.

According to the purpose of visit, the longest stay (average 9.16 days) is for trips for education and training. Pilgrimage and shopping trips tend to be relatively short-term.

In terms of annual visit frequency, business trips are the most frequent (6.9 times on average), while vacation and leisure trips are the least frequent (3.02 times on average).

The major destinations for domestic overnight tourism are Kathmandu, Chitwan, and Kaski. Kaski district is the most popular destination for leisure and vacation trips.

Young generation driving domestic tourism

The majority of tourist households are young people. Generation Z (13–28 years) accounts for 26.6 per cent. This is followed by Generation Alpha and Beta (0–12 years) at 22.6 per cent, and Generation Y (29–44 years) at 22 per cent. Of the tourist households, 33.3 per cent visit once a year, 32.2 per cent twice, and 34.5 per cent three or more times.

The survey showed that the younger generation, especially Generation Alpha and Generation Z, visit more frequently than other age groups. The frequency of visits gradually decreases with age.