With the security situation improving after the Maoists joined the government ending a decade-long insurgency, the inflow of foreign tourists to Nepal has increased by a whopping 43 per cent in the first five months of the year.
Nepal's casinos and hotels, the major sources of foreign exchange for the country, are seeing a huge rush of tourists these days, with Indians making up a large share of them.
The number of foreign visitors increased by 43 per cent in the first five months (January-May) of 2007 as compared to the corresponding period in the previous year while the Indian visitors grew by 26 per cent in the same period, according to latest data released by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).
During the six-month period, the arrivals by air were 100,151, which included 32,938 Indians. In the month of May alone, out of a total of 27,759 visitors, 9,828 were Indians.
