KATHMANDU, April 29: The revenue from the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square Conservation Program has increased in the current Fiscal Year (FY) compared to the previous FY.
According to the program Chief, Chandra Gopal Pradhan, the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square Conservation Program collected Rs 146.63 million in tourism fees by the first week of Baisakh (mid-April) in the previous FY, while it has already collected Rs 152.35 million during the same period in the current FY.
Over Rs 177 million collected from tourists visiting Hanuman Dh...
According to Chief Pradhan, the increase in revenue is due to tourism service fees as well as other service charges and administrative fees. He stated that the office has set a revenue target of Rs 170 million for the current fiscal year, which is likely to be achieved without difficulty. In contrast, the target for the previous fiscal year was only Rs 150 million.
The main source of income for the office comes from entrance fees charged to tourists visiting Hanuman Dhoka. According to Pradhan, the current entrance fee is set at Rs 500 for tourists from SAARC countries and Rs 1,000 for tourists from other countries. While Nepali citizens are not charged an entrance fee, they are required to pay a fee to visit the museum.
During the tourist season, up to 700 tourists visit Hanuman Dhoka daily. Chief Pradhan stated that the peak months for tourist arrivals are Bhadra, Ashwin, and Kartik (approximately mid-August to mid-November). According to him, in the previous fiscal year, 47,399 tourists from SAARC countries and 153,262 tourists from other countries visited the site.
Similarly, in the current fiscal year so far, 35,785 tourists from SAARC countries and 145,625 tourists from other countries have already visited Hanuman Dhoka. Unlike previous years, there has been no decline in the number of tourists even during the month of Baisakh this year. It has been reported that significantly more tourists visit during the Indra Jatra festival compared to other times.
