Kathmandu - The number of tourists visiting Nepal has continued to grow steadily and is expected to pass the half-million mark for the second year in a row, officials said Wednesday.

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said 344,599 tourists arrived in Nepal by air in the first 11 months of this year, an increase of 4.3 per cent from the same period in 2007.

NTB said an estimated 100,000 visitors had arrived in the country through land crossings by the end of November.

The growth came despite fears that the tourism industry would be affected by the global financial crisis.

"In November, the number of tourists arriving at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport was 36,851, up by 6.6 per cent," NTB said in a statement. Arrivals were strong from all key markets, including Europe and the United States.

"Arrivals from North America were up by 11 per cent while European tourists grew by 6 per cent in 2008," NTB said.

Arrivals from India, Nepal's biggest market for tourists, were also strong.

NTB said initial fears of a big impact on Nepal's tourism from the global financial crisis had not materialized.

The financial crisis in the world's advanced economies, which are also Nepal's biggest tourist markets, had not heavily affected the country's travel industry, NTB said.

The tourism industry in Nepal has enjoyed a boom since the government signed a peace agreement with the country's Maoist rebels in November 2006, ending a decade-long insurgency.

In 2007, just over half a million tourists visited Nepal, the highest figure since 1999.

The tourism industry is one of Nepal's biggest foreign exchange earners, bringing millions of dollars into the impoverished country and providing employment to hundreds of thousands of people.

However, the industry suffered considerably during the communist insurgency. The conflict shut down many hotels and resorts and put thousands of people out of work. (dpa)