MUSTANG: Tourist activity in the Himalayan district of Mustang has picked up following the Dashain festival, with a significant increase in visitor arrivals over the past two days.
Tourist arrivals, which had remained low before Dashain, began rising noticeably from Thursday. Earlier, floods, heavy rainfall and other monsoon-related disasters had disrupted travel to the district. The Beni–Jomsom road, the main route connecting Mustang with other parts of the country, was also blocked by landslides and river erosion.
Police Inspector Ishwar Mahat, information officer at the District Police Office in Mustang, said tourist arrivals through the Beni–Jomsom corridor had increased following Dashain.
According to police records, 5,663 tourists entered Mustang via the route between Ghatasthapana and Vijaya Dashami. The arrivals included 3,738 men and 1,925 women.
Mahat said 4,409 of the visitors, or 77.85 per cent of the total, were foreign tourists who arrived during the 10-day period from Ghatasthapana to Vijaya Dashami.
District Police Office statistics show that tourist arrivals surged further after Dashain, with 7,846 domestic and foreign visitors entering Mustang on Thursday and Friday alone.
On Thursday, the day after Dashain Tika, 3,033 visitors arrived in the district. The number increased to 4,813 on Friday, indicating a strong post-festival recovery in tourism activity.