Gandaki. Millions of rupees are collected annually from foreign tourists who visit the prohibited areas in the Annapurna Conservation Area. Foreign nationals are allowed to visit the prohibited areas of Upper Mustang and Nar Phu of Manang.

According to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, it had collected Rs 216.99 million as entry fee from tourists visiting the prohibited area in the last fiscal year. According to the project chief Dr Rabin Kadariya, the collection of $500 per person was collected from 1855 tourists who had taken permission for a 10-day visit to Upper Mustang and $50 per person from 2,569 tourists who visited a day.

Similarly, the entry fee of 1,338 tourists who entered the Nar Phu area of Manang with a seven-day visit permit has been collected at the rate of 100 dollars per person. The entry fee for entering the prohibited area is collected through the Immigration Office. The entry fee of the prohibited area is collected through the Immigration Office, said Dr. Kadariya, the chief of the project.

In the year 2081/82, the revenue of Rs 30 crore 17 lakh 52 thousand was collected from the entry fee from the foreign tourists who visited the prohibited area, and in the year 2080/81, it was Rs 23 crore 89 lakh 66 thousand. The government has declared the area adjoining the border with Tibet as a prohibited area.

Most of the tourists go for trekking in Upper Mustang and Nar Phu area of Manang. Project chief Dr Kadariya said that Rs 677,75,90,986 revenue was collected from foreign tourists entering the Annapurna Conservation Area except the prohibited area.

The project office has been charging an entry fee of Rs 1,000 from tourists from South Asian countries and Rs 3,000 (including VAT) from tourists from other countries. The income from the entry fee has also increased as the number of foreign tourists entered the area so far in the last fiscal year.

A total of 508,476 foreign tourists, including 384,145 from South Asian countries and 124,331 from other countries, visited the area last year.

Among them, the highest number of 3,75,797 tourists were Indian tourists. Along with the number of tourists, the amount collected from tourist fees was also the highest so far in the last fiscal year. In the year 2081/82, a total of Rs 46,48,81,484 was collected as tourist entrance fee.

In the fiscal year 2080/81, Rs 38,94,61,483 was collected in tourist fees. According to the project office, the income from tourist fees is spent on conservation activities and tourism promotion.