Kathmandu, Oct 2 (IANS) : Devastating floods on August 26 did not deter foreign tourists from visiting Nepal, as foreign tourist arrivals in the country grew by 12.1 per cent in September, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) stated.
A total of 88,248 foreign tourists from various countries visited Nepal in September, compared with 78,711 in the same month last year.
Deadly floods along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors, triggered by an avalanche near the Nepal-China border, killed at least 1,453 people, while 5,285 people, including 636 foreigners, remain missing.
Images of washed-out roads, collapsed bridges, stranded people and bodies recovered from rivers in northern Nepal travelled far beyond Rasuwa, creating an impression among potential visitors that the disaster had affected the entire country.
As prospective visitors began cancelling hotel bookings in Nepal in the aftermath of the disaster, government agencies and the private sector launched the #NepalCalling campaign to counter flood-driven tourism cancellations. Under the campaign, the message that much of Nepal remained safe, except for the river corridors devastated by the floods, was highlighted.
The peak September-November tourism season accounts for nearly 40 per cent of Nepal’s annual tourist arrivals.
According to the NTB, India recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals during the month, with 17,425 visitors, an increase of 12 per cent year-on-year. It was followed by China with 11,212 visitors, with the number of Chinese tourists rising by 114.1 percent.
The United States ranked third with 8,299 arrivals, followed by Sri Lanka with 7,108 and Australia with 4,842 visitors.
By region, 30,085 tourists arrived from South Asia, accounting for 34.09 per cent of total arrivals. Another 19,888 tourists came from other Asian countries, while 15,148 arrived from Europe. Tourist arrivals from Europe, however, fell by 8.7 per cent compared with September last year.
Similarly, arrivals from the Oceania region declined by 25.9 per cent, while arrivals from the Americas fell by 12.3 per cent, according to NTB data.
