MANANG, Nov 2: As the present weather is considered favorable to visit the mountainous Manang district, the number of visiting tourists has started increasing. According to the Area Office of the Annapurna Area Conservation (ACAP), a total of 9,752 foreign tourists visited the area in the past six months.
The incoming tourists visited both the Annapurna trail and the Larke pass in Narpabhumi, said the ACAP chief Dhak Bahadur Bhujel. According to him, 928 tourists, both domestic and foreign ones, visited the Annapurna trail, and 528 tourists toured the Larke pass. Tourists used to go to their destinations from this area through Chung Nurmi in Gorkha district.
Until mid-October alone, 4,357 foreign tourists entered the area. According to him, 3,266 tourists visited the area in the Nepali month of Baisakh, 661 in Jestha, 259 in Asar, 296 in Shrawan, and 913 in Bhadra. Total 1,072 tourists visited the area from the Nepali month of mid-July to (Shrawan to Mangsir) mid-November last year.
The number of incoming tourists significantly increased this year compared to last year, he said. "The main income source here is the tourism sector. There is low revenue collection without the arrival of tourists. The tourist sector has helped the local people sustain," he said. The local people here are involved in agriculture alongside the hotel and tourism business.
Local people welcome visiting tourists with locally made food items instead of imported goods, said Binod Gurung, President of the Tourism Entrepreneur Association. "This season, the arrival of visiting tourists has been significant. This has encouraged businesspersons. Nowadays, the inflow of tourists has increased."
The number of tourists, both domestic and foreign ones, has increased significantly, he said. "Foreign tourists have already booked hotel rooms. So, the arrangement for their stay has been ensured. On-arrival hotel booking often creates problems. I want to urge aspiring tourists to inquire about the availability of hotel rooms as they are priorly booked online."