MUSTANG, April 4:In less than nine months of the current fiscal year, 396,901 tourists have visited the religious and tourist district of Mustang. The District Police Office reported that both domestic and international tourists contributed to this number, based on police data from mid-July 2024 to March 31, 2025.
As of now, 333,845 Nepali domestic tourists and 63,056 international tourists have visited Mustang this year, said Police Inspector Bishal Adhikari, Information Officer at the District Police Office. Inspector Adhikari explained that since July, 238,354 male and 95,491 female Nepali domestic tourists have entered Mustang. Additionally, 35,618 male and 27,438 female international tourists have visited the district.
With three months remaining in the current fiscal year, the District Police Office reports that Nepali domestic tourists visited Mustang as follows: 10,983 in Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August), 17,492 in Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September), 47,293 in Asoj (mid-September to mid-October), 99,176 in Kartik (mid-October to mid-November), 58,443 in Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December), 28,722 in Poush (mid-December to mid-January), 24,802 in Magh (mid-January to mid-February), 46,934 in Falgun (mid-February to mid-March), and 44,806 as of March 31.
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Similarly, international tourists visited the district as follows: 3,054 in Shrawan, 6,347 in Bharda, 12,538 in Asoj, 14,124 in Kartik, 7,464 in Mangsir, 6,835 in Poush, 3,456 in Magh, 9,238 in Falgun, and 13,405 as of March 31.
Police Inspector Bishal Adhikari reported that 81 percent of the tourists visiting Mustang this fiscal year are Nepali domestic tourists, while 19 percent are international tourists. He added that 80 percent of the tourists entering Mustang are from India and 20 percent are from other countries.
The District Police Office stated that a total of 454,326 tourists visited Mustang in the fiscal year 2023/24, including both domestic and international tourists. Among them, 354,927 were domestic tourists, and 99,399 were international tourists, according to police data.
The road network in the region has been gradually improving, leading to an increase in both domestic and international tourists. Nepali domestic tourists flock to the holy religious sites of Muktinath and Kagbeni for pilgrimages. After visiting Muktinath, domestic tourists often reach Korla, a region bordering Tibet in northern China.
Mustang, a district rich in religious and cultural diversity, attracts more and more tourists every year due to its unique landscape. As the Korla road, a national pride project, becomes more accessible, domestic tourists have started reaching the Korla border, said Tsering Narbu Gurung, the chairperson of the Lo Manthang Rural Municipality.
Mustang is emerging as an important tourist destination because of its centuries-old monasteries, mani walls, chortens, temples, and its historical and archaeological heritage, including caves. In Upper Mustang, the 700-year-old Mustang cultural king's palace, along with numerous religious monasteries linked to Guru Padmasambhava, has become a center for research and exploration for tourists.
Loptsang Chomphal Bista, the Chairperson of Lo-Gheker Damodarkunda Rural Municipality, stated that the number of both domestic and international tourists has been increasing every year as people visit to explore Mustang's religious and cultural heritage, its way of life, and the authenticity of local festivals.