KATHMANDU, APRIL 26 Nepal received a total of 7,642 tourists from third countries over the past nine months through the eastern border point at Kakarbhitta. Tulsi Bhattarai, chief of the Immigration Office in Kakarbhitta, said that visitors from 81 countries entered Nepal during the first nine months of the current fiscal year. Bhutanese nationals accounted for the highest number of arrivals during the period, followed by visitors from the United States, Thailand, Australia, and the United Kingdom. According to the Immigration Office, 4,154 tourists entered Nepal through this border point during the review period. Bhattarai further stated that 1,612 visitors from the United States arrived in Nepal via Kakarbhitta, along with 525 from Thailand, 229 from Australia, and 182 from the United Kingdom. He added that most tourists indicated plans to visit major destinations such as Lumbini, Pokhara, Kathmandu, Chitwan, and Gorkha. The Immigration Office also reported that 9,942 tourists from third countries departed Nepal through the same border point during the same period. Similarly, more than 3,000 Nepalis who had been abroad for study and other purposes returned home via Kakarbhitta during the review period. Officials noted that the number of tourist arrivals through the Kakarbhitta border point has declined compared to the corresponding period last year.