Nepal's tourism sector is showing signs of recovery, with India emerging as the top tourist market in February, the tourism authority of Nepal said on Saturday.

Nepal saw a total of 97,426 tourists visiting the country by air route last month, according to the data published by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). Out of the total, 25,578 visitors were from India, followed by China with 9,180 and the US with 9,089 visitors, the report said.

Thailand ranks fourth on the list released by NTB with 4,799 inbound visitors. However, the UK and Bangladesh ranked fifth and sixth in the list with 4,571 and 4,099 tourists respectively.

NTB Director Mani Lamichhane revealed that over 25,000 Indians visited Nepal in the previous month. However, the actual number is higher as a large number of Indian tourists visited Nepal via land route.

Nepal saw a foot fall of 18,041 Indian visitors in January.

Nepal’s tourism sector, is expected to revive in 2024, after the major impact of COVID-19 on the economy. The February data is a positive indication, NTB Director Lamichhane said.

The number of visitors will significantly increase from next month as the tourism season starts, he added.

(With PTI Inputs)