Annapurna Region Sees Record-Breaking Tourist Influx in 2025

Kathmandu. Tourism in the Annapurna region, which had declined for several years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, is becoming strong again. In the past 25 years, 2,632,004 foreign tourists have entered the Annapurna region, and a new record has been set in 2025 with the highest ever tourist arrivals.

According to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), while 65,313 foreign tourists entered this region in 2001, 299,831 tourists visited in 2025. This number is the highest to date. The lowest number of tourists arrived in 2021 with only 16,105 people, which was a direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to ACAP, until 2010, the annual tourist arrival remained below 100,000, but in the Nepal Tourism Year 2011, the number of tourists crossed 100,000 for the first time. After that, although the 2015 Gorkha earthquake affected tourist arrivals, in recent years, the Annapurna region seems to have returned as a choice for trekkers worldwide.

There has been a continuous increase in tourist arrivals since 2022. In 2022, 129,723 tourists, in 2023, 191,558 tourists, in 2024, 244,039 tourists, and in 2025, nearly 300,000 foreign tourists reached Annapurna.

According to the head of ACAP, Dr. Rabin Kadariya, among the tourists who arrived in 2025, 177,628 are from South Asian countries and 122,203 are from other countries. According to him, tourist arrivals are increasing every year. He stated that the Annapurna region has become a center of attraction for everyone from those who enjoy trekking to religious tourists.

Under the Annapurna Circuit trekking route, hundreds of thousands of internal and external tourists reach destinations including Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal, Ghandruk, Tilicho Lake, Thorong La Pass, Upper Mustang, Muktinath, and Ghorepani every year. 

Spread over an area of 7,600 square kilometers, the Annapurna Conservation Area is considered one of the world's best trekking destinations due to its natural beauty, biodiversity, Himalayan culture, and lifestyle.

The Annapurna region covers 87 wards of 15 local levels in Kaski, Lamjung, Manang, Myagdi, and Mustang. Tourism entrepreneurs say that short to long-distance trekking routes, tourism-friendly infrastructure, and the hospitality of the local people have made the Annapurna Circuit even more attractive.