Kathmandu. Along with the encouraging increase in the arrival of foreign tourists in Nepal, it has been observed that the opening of star level hotels and resorts is also increasing. Nepal, the country of the world’s highest peak Mount Everest and the birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha, has recently seen an increase in investment in the field of tourism. As a result, investors are also increasing in tourism services such as hotels in Nepal.
The latest example of this growing attraction in the tourism service sector is the increasing number of star hotels, resorts and restaurants in Nepal. It has been found that there has been an increase in new hotels and resorts coming into operation in major cities like the federal capital Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, Lumbini, Bhairawa, Nepalganj, Bhadrapur and other major tourist destinations with domestic and foreign investment.
Although tourist-level hotels are registered and operated by the state government, star hotels and resorts have been registered and licensed by the tourism department. According to the Department of Tourism, 350 star level hotels and resorts have been registered and operating across the country so far. Out of which there are 29 five-star hotels. Himal Gautam, information officer of the department, said that there has been an increase in the number of star hotels and resorts in Nepal recently. Last year, 335 hotels and resorts were registered in the department, this year it has increased to 350.
According to him, 44 one-star, 49 two-star, 37 three-star, 40 four-star and 28 five-star hotels have been registered. Similarly, there are three five-star deluxe level hotels, three five-star luxury boutique heritage hotels, five deluxe heritage four-star hotels, one normal heritage boutique (three star level), 127 ordinary resorts, 10 deluxe resorts and three luxury resorts.
According to the department, there are 16,613 rooms in 350 registered hotels. There are 26 thousand 285 beds in that room. Along with the operation of these star hotels and resorts, the ability to provide tourists with quality accommodation, modern services and international level hospitality is also expanding.
Information officer of the department, Gautam, recently, with the increase in the number of people investing in hotels and resorts, the department has started revising the standards of the hotel. In order to organize and classify hotels and resorts in Nepal, hotel classification standards were created for the first time in 2070. According to the demand of time and international practice, the government revised the standard in 2076. Information officer Gautam said that hotel standards are being revised keeping in mind international standards, quality and eco-tourism.
In order to revise the standard, a committee of directors has been formed under the leadership of the Joint Secretary of the Tourism Division of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, and a draft working group has been formed under the leadership of the Director of the Tourism Department and the Head of the Hotel Branch (Deputy Secretary). The working group will submit the revised hotel standards draft to the Ministry by the end of this June.
President of Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) Vinayak Shah said that the increase in the number of star hotels and resorts in Nepal shows that the attraction of foreign tourists to Nepal has increased. “Foreign tourists come to Nepal to enjoy the nature, culture and adventure travel of Nepal”, he said.
President Shah said that the number of Indian tourists in Nepal has increased significantly recently. According to President Shah, the National Independent Party (RASWPA), which won nearly two-thirds of the popular vote in the House of Representatives elections, has a single government and an environment of trust is gradually being created in Nepal’s tourism sector. “Nepal is a beautiful land between India and China, both countries are economically powerful, millions of people leave for travel from these countries every year, if the tourists from there can be brought into Nepal, the tourism sector of Nepal could take a big leap”, he said.
Christina Shrestha, executive assistant manager of Nigalo Hotel, which is being built in Mandandeupur on the border of Bhaktapur and Kavrepalanchok, said that increased investment in the hotel sector has contributed positively to job creation, the running of the local economy and the development of tourism infrastructure.
Nigalo Hotel, which is about to be completed with an investment of nearly two billion by Nepali businessmen, currently has 65 rooms with facilities. Shrestha, who returned to Nepal after a decade-long stay in Australia and worked in famous hotels such as Dwarikaj, Rupakot in Pokhara, Mall, and Hilton, said that with the entry of international hotel brands, the competitiveness of the Nepali hotel industry is also expanding. According to him, constant attention should be paid to the increase in international tourist arrivals, tourism promotion, infrastructure improvement and service quality.
Another senior tourism businessman, Abhishek Vikram Shah, said that investment in tourism and hydropower sector has increased in recent times. He said that with the new government giving priority to the tourism sector, investment in the hotel sector has increased for the future.
After the corona epidemic, the tourism sector of Nepal is gradually returning to the rhythm. After Corona, 11 lakh 47 thousand 567 foreign tourists have entered Nepal in 2024 and 11 lakh 58 thousand 459 in 2025. By June this year, more than five lakh tourists have entered Nepal.