MUSTANG, Jan 11: Tourist activity in the religious and tourist destination of Mustang has begun to decline with the intensification of extreme winter cold.
As temperatures continue to drop during the winter season, hotels in the district headquarters Jomsom and along the national highway have started to appear deserted. The winter season traditionally brings a complete halt to tourism in Mustang, forcing tourism entrepreneurs to move to lower regions to escape the cold during the off-season.
In recent years, however, some tourism entrepreneurs have continued to stay back, hoping for visitors, as the Beni–Jomsom road has become more accessible. Despite this, worsening cold conditions have led to the suspension of Pokhara–Jomsom flights nearly a month ago. Tourist traffic on the national highway has also dropped significantly.
The first snowfall of the season occurred in Upper Mustang in Kartik (mid-October to mid-November), while Lower Mustang has not yet received snowfall. Nevertheless, extreme cold and strong northern winds have affected daily life across the district.
Since the beginning of Poush (mid-December to mid-January), temperatures in Upper Mustang have dropped to as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius in the mornings and evenings, while Lower Mustang has recorded temperatures of up to minus 10 degrees Celsius.
Due to the impact of strong northern winds during winter, residents find it difficult to move outdoors. Even when the weather clears around midday and sunshine appears, cold winds soon return, disrupting daily life.
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Hotels and homes in Lo Manthang of Upper Mustang are completely closed due to extreme cold. According to Umesh Paudel, office chief of ACAP Lo Manthang, residents have locked their houses and moved to lower regions to escape the cold, leaving Upper Mustang entirely deserted.
Although hotels in Muktinath remain open, tourist activity is minimal. Locals take turns moving to lower areas during the off-season, while a limited workforce keeps some hotels operational.
Most hotels that remain packed with tourists during the monsoon season are now largely vacant due to the off-season. During Poush (mid-December to mid-January) and Magh (mid-January to mid-February), most Mustang residents migrate to lower regions to avoid the cold. Residents of Upper Mustang typically move down before Kartik (mid-October to mid-November) and return only after Baisakh (mid-April to mid-May).
In Upper Mustang, extreme cold has caused rivers, tributaries, household taps, irrigation canals and water tanks to freeze, severely affecting daily life. Locals who stay back instead of moving to lower areas often face cold-related health problems.
In Lower Mustang, farmers continue to manage apple orchards despite enduring severe cold conditions.
The District Police Office has reported a sharp decline in tourist movement since the onset of winter. According to Police Inspector Santosh Basyal, while the number of foreign tourists increased in Pous (mid-December to mid-January)compared to Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December), domestic tourist arrivals declined.
Compared to Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December), domestic tourist arrivals dropped by 24,010—representing a decline of 56.66 percent—in Poush (mid-December to mid-January). In contrast, foreign tourist arrivals increased by 5,559, or 54 percent, during the same period.
Police records show that despite the off-season, around 100 to 150 tourists continue to visit Mustang daily via the Beni–Jomsom road. Although tourist activity is far lower than during peak season, some visitors still travel to the district even in winter, Inspector Basyal said.
According to tourism records maintained by the District Police Office, tourist arrivals declined by 10.05 percent in the current fiscal year compared to the same period last year.
In the first six months of the previous fiscal year, a total of 312,471 domestic and foreign tourists visited Mustang. In contrast, 280,929 tourists had entered the district by Pous 21 (early January) of the current fiscal year.
From mid-July to the first week of January of the current fiscal year, 221,653 domestic and 60,347 foreign tourists visited Mustang.
Monthly figures show that domestic tourist arrivals stood at 11,831 in Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August), 13,550 in Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September), 65,740 in Asoj (mid-September to mid-October), 79,800 in Kartik (mid-October to mid-November), 42,371 in Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December), and 18,361 up to January 5.
Similarly, foreign tourist arrivals numbered 7,950 in Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August), 9,655 in Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September), 9,859 in Asoj (mid-September to mid-October), 13,966 in Kartik (mid-October to mid-November), 6,679 in Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December), and 12,238 up to January 5.
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