GORKHA, August 18: Only 194 international tourists visited the Manaslu Conservation Area in the fiscal year 2020/21, arguably due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP), 74 tourists visited the region in March while 56 others visited Manaslu in April.
In 2019/20, as many as 5,386 tourists had arrived at Manaslu. The MCAP has been keeping the details of foreign tourists who visited the region since 1998. Just 104 tourists visited the region in the first year. The region has recorded the lowest number of tourists since then.
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Among the 194 tourists who visited the region, 129 were males and 65 females. The Manaslu trek is considered the most adventurous after the Annapurna trek. European tourists visit the region to see the geographical terrain, mountain ranges and the famous Larke Pass. Most of the tourists visiting the region are from France, Germany, America and Switzerland, MCAP informed Republica.
In recent years, the Manaslu region has also become a tourist destination for domestic tourists as well. The risk of COVID-19 has decreased the flow of even the domestic tourists visiting the region, locals say. The hotel business in the Manaslu area, which took two years to get to its feet after the earthquake in 2015, has reached a point of closure again.
