Myagdi, November 19: One lakh 73 thousand tourists have visited Mustang in two months. According to the district police office, 144,155 domestic and 28,976 foreign tourists visited Mustang in the months of October and November. Information officer of the office Police Inspector Bishal Adhikari said that 59,831 tourists in October and 113,300 tourists in October-November entered Mustang by air and land.
The police keep a record of entry by road in Ghasa and by air at the check post of Jomsom airport. In October, 57,982 people entered the Mustang via the Beni-Jomsom road and 1,849 people entered via the Pokhara-Jomsom flight, according to the police inspector officer. According to police statistics, 111,655 tourists reached Mustang by road and 1,645 tourists by air in October-November. The number of people visiting Mustang on the occasion of Dashain festival and holidays is more in October and November compared to other months.
According to hoteliers, a tourist spends a minimum of Rs 15,000 on a Mustang tour. Gharpazhong rural municipality chairman Mohansingh Lalchan said that it is estimated that the economic turnover of the tourists who entered here in August and October is Rs. 20 billions 596 millions and 965 thousands. Prem Prasad Paudel, Head of Tourism and Industry Office, Mustang, said that the 325 hotels in Mustang have the capacity to accommodate around 7,000 tourists per day.
During Dasaantihar all the hotels in Mustang were full of tourists. With the onset of November, the arrival of tourists has decreased in the last few days as it gets colder. In fiscal year 2080-81, 4 lakh 27 thousand and 379 thousand 767 tourists visited Mustang in 2079-80. Pramodaraj Regmi, Head of Jomsom Area Conservation Office of Annapurna Conservation Area Project, said that the Annapurna Conservation Area project has increased tourist arrivals due to road transport facilities, inclusion of the Annapurna trekking as one of the world’s top ten destinations by world-famous media, publicity, digital marketing, and the opening of convenient hotels.
Among the foreign tourists who enter Mustang, there are many Indians. Deserted mountains, Himalayan climate, culture and lifestyle, lakes, monasteries, Muktinath temple, caves are the attractions of Mustang. There are religious and tourist places in Mustang including Muktinath, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Lomanthang, Marfa, Thini, Dhumba Lake.
Tourists reach here by road through Myagdi, trekking through Thorangla Bhanjyang in Mustang and by air from Pokhara. As the number of tourists from outside the SAARC countries is decreasing, the businessmen here are worried. Gharpazhong Chairman Lalchan said that if the Beni-Jomsom road pich plan, which is currently being upgraded, is completed, the tourist arrival will increase further.
