Over 90000 foreign tourists visit Mustang

KATHMANDU, Jan 04:During one year, 90,000 foreign tourists visited Mustang's tourist zone. According to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) area office, 90,356 foreign tourists visited Mustang in 2023.

Padmaraj Regmi, ACAP's chief, reported that 24,425 more tourists visited Mustang in 2023 than in 2022. 

"Connected to the national road network, the Annapurna circuit trail is included in the world's top 10 destinations, the tourist arrivals in Mustang have increased due to the abundant promotion of this district and the opening of convenient hotels" , stated the regmi. "Indian citizens visited Mustang after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Muktinath and Mustang." The number of visitors has likewise grown."

Mustang received 65,940 tourists in 2022, 2,300 in 2021, and 2,347 in 2020. Prior to the Corona pandemic, 60,000 tourists visited Mustang each year.

In 2023, 72,190 visitors came from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, while 18,166 came from other countries. According to Regmi, the head of ACAP, 10,733 tourists arrived in Mustang via Manang via Thorangla.

Foreigners must pay a 500-dollar fee to visit the semi-forbidden Upper Mustang district from Kagbeni to Korla pass for seven days. Tourists from SAARC nations would be charged Rs 1,000 per person, while tourists from other countries will be charged Rs 3,000 per person to visit the ECAP area in Gandaki province's Lamjung, Kaski, Manang, Mustang, and Myagdi districts.

Mustang's features include desolate hills, Himalayan environment, culture and lifestyle, lakes, monasteries, Muktinath temple, and caves. The influx of tourists to Mustang's religious and tourism destinations, such as Muktinath, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Lomanthang, Marfa, Thini, and Dhumba Lake, has resumed its previous pattern.

Mustang is accessible by road through Myagdi and by air from Pokhara. Some tourists enter Mustang via Manang after crossing Thorangla Bhanjyang. Mustang, which is part of the world-famous Annapurna circuit route, has become a popular destination for both domestic and international visitors.