Tourist arrivals in Mustang fell by 41.52 percent in the first three months of the current fiscal year compared with the same period last year, as floods, heavy rainfall and prolonged road closures disrupted access to the Himalayan district.
According to the Mustang District Police Office, 69,403 domestic and international tourists visited the district between mid-July and mid-October, down from 118,685 during the corresponding period last year.
Police Inspector Ishwar Mahat, the district police office’s information officer, said Mustang received 30,534 visitors between mid-July and mid-August, 20,268 from mid-August to mid-September, and 18,601 between mid-September to mid-October.
The monthly figures show a sharp decline in arrivals during the autumn peak season. In the same period last year, Mustang received 19,000 visitors between mid-July and mid-August, 23,205 in the period from mid-August to mid-September, and 75,599 from mid-September to mid-October. Although arrivals increased in the first period this year, the steep drop in the final period drove the overall decline in visitor numbers.
The decline has been attributed largely to weather-related disasters and damage to the Beni-Jomsom road, the main overland route connecting Mustang with the rest of the country.
Mahat said the devastating August 26 Bhotekoshi flood and heavy rainfall on September 27 disrupted transport infrastructure, leaving the Beni-Jomsom road completely blocked for more than two weeks. During late September and early October, when the road remained impassable, only a limited number of tourists could reach Mustang by air on the Pokhara-Jomsom route.
Earlier, heavy rainfall had caused floods, landslides and riverbank erosion, damaging dozens of sections of the Beni-Jomsom road. Although the Korala Road Project carried out repairs and reopened the route, travel along the highway has yet to return to normal, according to Mahat.
The disruption has hit Mustang at a time when the district would ordinarily be welcoming large numbers of visitors. September, October and November are among the busiest months for tourism in the region, drawing visitors to its Himalayan landscapes, religious sites and trekking routes.
Suraj Gurung, president of the Muktinath Hotel Association, said tourist numbers had yet to recover because of the natural disasters and continuing transport difficulties.
Mustang, which typically sees a surge in visitors from September to November, has been unusually quiet this year, he said.
The decline in tourist arrivals has affected Mustang’s autumn tourism season, when hotels and other service providers typically receive a substantial share of their annual visitors. Tourism operators fear continued road disruptions could further affect Mustang’s tourism sector.