Number of passengers on Lumbini cable car increased after ticket price reduced

KATHMANDU, July 20:After reduce the prior ticket price to half the price for Wednesday, the number of passengers boarding the Lumbini cable car more than doubled on the first day. Every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., the cable car has a 'Morning Offer' with a 50% discount on ticket purchases. Previously, the cable car had an average of 500 passengers per day, but on the first day of the 'Morning Offer,' 996 individuals arrived in 3 hours, according to Operation Manager DN Kayastha.

Kayastha stated that this is an off-season and that this deal has been extended till the middle of August in order to meet public demand. This cable car, the first in Lumbini province, was completed on May 29th at a total cost of 5 billion under the of IME Group.

The normal ticket price for the cable car's two-way travel is 750 rupees, however the 'Morning Offer' is only 375 rupees. This promotion is valid until the end of August. Even Indian nationals can travel for 375 rupees under this deal, while foreign tourists from third countries can go for 11 US dollars.

The temple of Kamakhya Devi erected at Basantapur in Palpa, the top station of the 2.6 kilometer cable car, is a popular Hindu tourist site. According to Gokul Saud, the project's director, a large number of people visit the Kamakhya temple from various places in Uttar Pradesh. From May 29th to July 16th, around 30,000 tourists rode the cable car, with 40 percent of them being Indians, according to Saud.

Basantapur, located 960 meters above sea level, has a temperature 7 to 10 degrees Celsius lower than the Terai, making it chilly in summer and warm in winter due to the sun, making it a popular tourist destination.

Butwal sub-metropolitan city and Tinau rural municipality will get 2% of each ticket price as a service fee from the cable car. It has been agreed that the amount will be split 50-50 between the two municipalities. Within the next two years, Top Station will have a five-star hotel with 150 rooms, a banquet hall with a capacity of 1,000 people, and a casino.