CNP reports rise in tourist arrivals by a whopping 35 per cent

Tilak Rimal / Chitwan: After the impact of political crisis, earthquakes, road obstructions among others subdued over the years, Chitwan, one of the top travel destinations in Nepal, has witnessed a spike in tourist arrivals when compared to previous years.

As per official statistics, in the five months of the current fiscal, 71,720 tourists have visited Chitwan National Park, an increase of 35.10 per cent when compared to the same period in last fiscal when only 53,085 tourists had toured the national park.

The CNP saw the highest number of arrivals of 26,264 tourists in October followed by 17,097 in November and 12,796 in September, according to CNP Information Officer Gopal Ghimire.

Out of the total tourists arriving at CNP during the five months in fiscal year 2018/19, 50,764 are foreign nationals, 7,387 are from SAARC nations and 13,659 are domestic tourists, official statistics show.

Apart from tourist entering the CNP, the number of visitors who stay for recreational purposes has also swelled, tourism entrepreneurs said.

“As the Gregorian New Year and Chitwan’s iconic Elephant festival are brewing in prospect, hotels in the region have reported an average occupancy rate of 90 per cent,” Regional Hotel Association Chitwan Chair Suman Ghimire said, “All obstructions that had barred tourists from visiting Chitwan no longer exist. And, we hope the inflow of visitors will rise more in the upcoming months after January.” Courtesy : The Himalayan Times