Mustang. MUSTANG: A total of 202,351 tourists have visited the religious and touristic district Mustang in the past four months.

According to the District Police Office, Mustang, a total of 160,929 domestic tourists and 41,430 foreign tourists have entered Mustang via Beni-Jomsom road from mid-July to mid-November of the current fiscal year.

Information Officer of District Police Office, Mustang, Police Inspector Santosh Basyal said a total of 19,781 domestic and foreign tourists visited Mustang in the month of July, 23,205 in August, 75,599 in September and 83,766 in the month of October.

A total of 705,779,000 domestic and foreign tourists entered Mustang via the Beni-Jomsom road in the fiscal year 2081/82, according to the District Police Office, Mustang. Last year, 555,326 domestic tourists and 150,453 foreign tourists visited Mustang.

According to Nepal Police, 28.76 percent tourists visited Mustang in the first four months of the current fiscal year as compared to the total number of tourists visiting Mustang last year. However, tourism in Mustang was partially affected in the first quarter of the current fiscal year due to the youths’ agitation in Genji and adverse weather.

The flow of domestic and foreign tourists to Mustang has increased with the construction of the Beni-Jomsom-Korala road, a national pride road, in recent period. Two-thirds of the road from Beni of Myagdi to Muktinath has been blacktopped. Two-third of the tourists who come here to visit Muktinath visit Upper Mustang and Korala border points.

Domestic and foreign tourists have been attracted to observe the geological and biodiversity of Upper Mustang including the much-known Korala border point, Lomanthang Palace, Dzong Cave and the centuries-old monasteries of Upper Mustang, Mane, Chhorten and man-made caves, said Umesh Poudel, chief of ACAP Lomanthang office.

According to him, the number of foreign tourists has started increasing as the Ministry of Tourism has opened climbing of the Himalayas of Upper Mustang since the current fiscal year. Similarly, the domestic tourists who come to visit Muktinath are found to perform Shraddha, Tarpan and Pind Daan in the name of the deceased ancestors at Kagbeni Dham.

Similarly, foreign tourists coming to Mustang from Besi city of Lamjung via Manang return home via air from Jomsom. Tourists coming to Mustang do not miss the sightseeing of Dhumba Lake, Yaruzo View Tower, Jomsom Bazaar, Marfa Village, among others.