RUPANDEHI, Sept 10: Arrival of international tourists in Nepal through Belahiya customs point has increased remarkably over the past eight months.
As many as 83,933 tourists have entered the country through this route since January 2016, according to Immigration Office at Belahiya. The corresponding figure for last year stood at 73,944.
Our data maintained shows the tourist arrival rate has increased by around 12 percent, Tek Prasad Devkota, information officer at the Immigration Office, told Republica.
Annapurna Circuit sees surge in arrival of tourists
Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, is the main destination for tourists visiting Nepal through Belahiya border point.
Generally, April to September is considered off season for tourist arrival in the Tarai region. Despite being off season, a large number of tourists are visiting the country, Devkota said.
“Belahiya border point offers several opportunities to increase the number of tourists," he said.
The highest numbers of tourists visiting Nepal through Belahiya so far this year were from Sri Lanka. Similarly, a good number of tourists from China, Thailand, Myanmar, Korea, Australia and Canada entered Nepal through this route.
A total of 36,522 Sri Lankan tourists visited Nepal in the past eight months. Similarly, 16,172 tourists from Thailand and 14,877 tourists from Myanmar came to Nepal through this route. A total of 2,857 Koreans and 2,569 Chinese tourists came to Nepal using this route, according to Immigration Office data.
