Over 4 lakh tourists visited Mustang by road last year: report

GALESHWAR, MYAGDI: More than 400,000 tourists visited Mustang by road from 14 April 14, 2023, to April 12, 2024, according to data from the Ghasa police station, which is located on the transit point to Myagdi-Mustang.

The statistics show that 414,280 domestic and foreign tourists visited Mustang during that period. The number of domestic visitors entering Mustang by road is 335,466, including 220,724 males and 114,742 females, said Deputy Superintendent Bhojraj Pandey, Chief of the Mustang District Police Office.

DSP Pandey also stated that 78,814 foreigners visited Mustang during that period. Among them, 72,756 are from the SAARC countries, while 6,058 are from countries outside the SAARC member states. According to him, 38,821 males and 33,935 females from SAARC countries visited Mustang during the period. Similarly, 3,648 males and 2,410 females from countries outside the SAARC member countries visited Mustang in the same period.

The data shows that 11,484 tourists arrived in Mustang by air. Among them, 1,679 are domestic tourists (1,134 males and 545 females), 8,055, including 3,767 males and 4,288 females, are from the SAARC countries, and 1,750 visitors (886 males and 864 females) are from countries outside the SAARC member countries.

Known as the district beyond the Himalayas, Mustang is a prime tourism destination known for its iconic desert-like landscape. The bare mountains, Himalayan climate, culture and lifestyle, lakes, monasteries, Muktinath temple, and caves are the attractions of Mustang.

The influx of tourists to the religious and tourist places of Mustang, including Muktinath, Jomsom, Kagbeni, Lomanthang, Marpha, Thini, and Dhumba Lake, has gradually started increasing since last year, according to local tourism entrepreneurs.