LAMJUNG, Oct 14: Arrival of tourists has started to increase in the Annapurna Circuit. This foot trail, which was deserted until some time ago, has now become crowded with the arrival of the tourist season.

More than 200 foreign tourists are arriving daily, said Bhupendra Gurung, in charge of the Tourist Check Post and Information Center of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) in Manang’s Dharapani. According to him, the number of tourists is expected to increase further in the middle of the Tihar festival.

Pancha Bahadur Gurung, a tourism entrepreneur from Marsyangdi Rural Municipality-4, which is located along this route, said, “We were jobless during the rainy season when the arrival of tourists almost came to a standstill. But now, we are getting busy since the arrival of tourists has started to increase.”

Gurung says that tourism entrepreneurs in this area are happy with the increase in the number of tourists. He added that they are earning Rs 30,000 to 40,000 daily now.

According to another tourism businessman, Mekh Bahadur Gurung, income is also increasing with the increase in tourists. According to him, the daily income is up to Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 due to the increase in arrival of tourists. September, October and November is the ideal season to visit this place because of the favorable weather. During winter, it is difficult to visit the Annapurna Circuit due to the thick layers of snow.  

Numerous hotel businesses are operating around this trail. The entrance of the Annapurna foot trail is Chautara of Lamjung. Five districts namely Lamjung, Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Kaski are connected by this route.

Foreign tourists come to the Annapurna trail to see the views of the mountains, the customs of the people of Manang, the natural beauty and climb Thorang-La Pass from Manang on the way to Pokhara via Mustang. Since the beginning of the year 2023, 14,214 tourists have visited this trail.

According to the ACAP Tourist Information Center, mostly the citizens of Israel, France, Germany and other countries have visited this trail. Domestic tourists have also shown a growing interest on this route, although there is no reliable data available. The influx of both foreign and domestic visitors has excited local businessmen.

 
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