Tourism bounces back in Mustang

MUSTANG, Nov 24: Mustang district welcomed an impressive number of tourists last month. Almost 80,000 tourists visited the mountainous district in the Nepali month of Kartik.

The number of domestic tourists is very high, thanks to the festive season.

According to the records of the District Police Office, a total of 5,504 international and 73,879 domestic tourists visited Mustang in the month of Kartik.

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The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) offices at Jomsom and Lhomanthang keep records of the international tourists visiting the district while the Ghasa Police Post and Lete Police Post maintain records of the domestic tourists.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Mustang, Bhojraj Pandey, said that the district witnessed queues of tourists in the festivals of Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath adding that almost 14,000 vehicles entered the district carrying tourists in Mustang in a month.

Besides the Beni-Jomsom route, the travelers arrived here from the Pokhara-Jomsom air route, too.

Hotelier Surendra Gauchan of Hotel Ranipauwa at Muktinath said tourist arrival remained exciting in Kartik. "Tourists did not come as expected during last year's festive season due to rain but this time the tourists preferred Mustang for their short trip due to better road network and clear weather," Gauchan said.

Autumn is considered an appropriate time for a Mustang visit.

With this impressive number of tourists in the district, the hoteliers and other stakeholders here have expressed satisfaction at the tourism bounce-back in Mustang.

Muktinath, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Lo Manthang, Marpha, Thini, and Dhumba Lake are the key tourist and religious attractions for visitors in Mustang.