KATHMANDU, APRIL 19
Four hundred thousand tourists visited Mustang by road from April 14, 2023, to April 12, 2024, according to data from the Ghasa police station, located at the transit point to Myagdi-Mustang.
The statistics show that 414,280 domestic and foreign tourists visited Mustang during that period. Deputy Superintendent Bhojraj Pandey, Chief of the District Police Office Mustang, stated that among domestic visitors entering Mustang by road, 335,466 were recorded, including 220,724 males and 114,742 females.
Similarly, DSP Pandey reported that 78,814 foreigners visited Mustang during that period, with 72,756 from SAARC countries and 6,058 from countries outside the SAARC member states. Among visitors from SAARC countries, 38,821 were males and 33,935 were females, while from countries outside the SAARC, there were 3,648 males and 2,410 females.
The data also indicates that 11,484 tourists arrived in Mustang via air. Of these, 1,679 were domestic tourists (1,134 males and 545 females), 8,055 were from SAARC countries (3,767 males and 4,288 females), and 1,750 were from countries outside the SAARC member countries (886 males and 864 females).
Known as the district beyond the Himalayas, Mustang is a prime tourism destination renowned for its iconic desert-like landscape, bare mountains, Himalayan climate, culture, lifestyle, lakes, monasteries, Muktinath temple, and caves.
Local tourism entrepreneurs have noted a gradual increase in tourist inflow to religious and tourist destinations in Mustang, including Muktinath, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Lomanthang, Marpha, Thini, and Dhumba Lake since last year.
