Nepal Tourism Year 2011 was a success as it saw a record number of tourists coming to the country, with most growth coming from neighboring India and China, according to the official figures released by the Nepal Tourism Board on Wednesday, Jan 4th.

Nepal suffered in tourism sector during the decade-long civil war that finally ended in 2006.

The new figures indicate a strong growth in tourist arrival, with tourism itself accounting for seven percent of GDP (more than $1 billion) last year.

There were 719,547 visitors in 2011 including those travelling over land from India and China according to the figures release by Nepal Tourism Board. Around 545,000 visitors arrived through Tribhuvan International Airport which was a 21 percent increment compared to the previous year.

The United States which is a major source of trekkers travelling to Nepal cancelled its warning against travel to Nepal last month considering the improving conditions in the country.