According to a report published by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Nepal's Travel & Tourism sector is a major job provider with the sector accounting for 3.3 percent of the total employment in the country in 2011. The travel trade sector (hotels, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transportation services) generated 412,500 direct jobs and attracted capital investment of Rs 12 billion last year. Nepal received a total of 735,965 international visitors in 2011 and earned revenue worth Rs 28.6 billion. The total contribution of the travel and tourism sector to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stood at Rs 119.1 billion in 2011.The WTTC report ranked Nepal 34th in terms of travel and tourism direct contribution to employment and 127 in terms of attracting foreign visitors among 181 tourist destinations.The report further projected that the travel trade sector’s contribution to the country’s total employment will rise to 3.7 percent in 2012.
