KATHMANDU, MAY 31 Hotels and tourist sites across Mustang, Myagdi, Pokhara, and Dhorpatan filled to capacity over the past four days as a combination of a four-day public holiday and Indian visitors seeking escape from summer heat drove a sharp spike in domestic and cross-border tourism. More than 30,000 tourists entered Mustang via the Beni–Jomsom road over four days, according to the District Police Office, Mustang. Daily entry figures recorded at Ghasa police checkpoint showed 5,586 arrivals on Wednesday, 7,827 on Thursday, and 9,086 on Friday, with Saturday recording comparable numbers. Mustang's hotels hold a combined overnight capacity of 10,000 guests, while Myagdi can accommodate 2,000 per night. At Muktinath temple between 20,000 and 25,000 devotees visited over the three-day period, against a daily average of 5,000 to 7,000 outside major festivals. The Muktinath Development Committee deployed Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel to manage crowd flow. Committee manager Dinesh Bhusal said the surge had strained management capacity given the temple complex's limited space. In Pokhara, hotel occupancy reached 90 percent, according to Hotel Association Pokhara president Laxman Subedi. Around 40 percent of Indian visitors to Pokhara proceed to Muktinath, while a similar share of foreign tourists go on to trek in the Annapurna Conservation Area, according to ACAP chief Dr Rabin Kadriya. South Asian visitors account for roughly 90 percent of Annapurna-area trekkers, of whom the vast majority are Indian nationals. In Dhorpatan, Baglung, the surge overwhelmed the valley's 27 hotels and 12 homestays, which have a combined capacity of 700 guests per night. More than 1,000 tourists arrived in a single day, nearly double capacity, forcing hundreds to turn back without accommodation. Hotel Association Dhorpatan Valley president Jiban Pun said around 100 tourists contacted him personally after failing to find rooms, with many more turned away by other operators. The improvement of the Burtibang–Dhorpatan road has significantly boosted visitor numbers in recent months. Hotels in Mustang could not accommodate all visitors, with overflow guests managed in Myagdi, Baglung, Kushma, and Pokhara, said hotelier Raju Hamal of Bhurung Tatopani. Indian visitors from Bihar chartered buses to visit Muktinath for pilgrimage, while domestic tourists from across Nepal used the holiday window for trips to Mustang and Dhorpatan. Visitors and operators raised concerns over road closures on the Myagdi section of the Beni–Jomsom highway due to landslides and upgrade works. Meanwhile, thirteen people - nine foreign nationals and four Nepalis - have died from altitude sickness in Mustang in the current fiscal year, according to the District Police Office. All victims were pilgrims visiting Muktinath and died while undergoing treatment at Jomsom Provincial Hospital. Police Inspector Santosh Basyal said the deaths occurred in Baragung Mukti Kshetra and Gharapjhong rural municipality. Indian tourists account for a disproportionate share of fatalities, police noted. Health workers attributed the deaths to insufficient acclimatisation, with travel agencies bringing visitors directly to high-altitude destinations without holding points along the route. Awareness signboards have been installed along the Ghasa–Muktinath corridor, and hotels in Baragung Mukti Kshetra have been equipped with oxygen cylinders and altitude sickness medication. A high-altitude treatment centre is operational at Muktinath temple. (With inputs from RSS)