KATHMANDU, Jan 28: A record-breaking number of tourists visited the country's protected areas in the last fiscal year.
According to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, altogether 932,532 domestic and foreign tourists visited the protected areas in the fiscal year 2022/23, marking the highest number till date.
Urgency of policy update for Nepal's National Park buffer zones
Approximately 60% of international tourists come to Nepal specifically to experience its protected areas, such as Everest, Annapurna, and Manaslu. Among the protected areas, Chitwan National Park emerged as the top revenue earner, closely followed by Everest. In the span of a year, these protected areas have collectively generated a total revenue of Rs 757.70 million.
Chitwan National Park led in revenue generation with Rs 281.3 million, followed by Everest at Rs 148.1 million. Shivapuri-Nagarjun National Park collected Rs 54.3 million, while Langtang National Park amassed Rs 42.4 million. Bardiya and Parsa national parks generated Rs 45 million and Rs 36.2 million, respectively.
