KATHMANDU: Tourist arrivals in Mustang have declined sharply in the first three months of the current fiscal year, with visitor numbers falling by 41.52 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the District Police Office, Mustang.
A total of 69,403 tourists visited the district from Shrawan to Ashoj this year, down from 118,685 during the corresponding period last year.
Police Inspector Ishwor Mahat said Mustang received 30,534 visitors in Shrawan, 20,268 in Bhadra and 18,601 in Ashoj this year. During the same months last year, the district recorded 19,000, 23,205 and 75,599 visitors, respectively.
Suraj Gurung, president of the Muktinath Hotel Association, attributed the decline to natural disasters and disruptions to transportation. He said Mustang, which typically attracts large numbers of tourists in Ashoj and Kartik, has remained unusually quiet this year.
The decline has largely been linked to damage to the Beni-Jomsom highway, a national pride project. The road remained completely blocked for more than two weeks following a devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa on August 26 and heavy rainfall on September 27.
Although the Korala Road Project has repaired the affected section and reopened the highway, traffic has yet to return to normal.
During the prolonged closure, only a limited number of tourists were able to reach Mustang by air via the Pokhara-Jomsom route, further affecting tourism-related businesses in the district.