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Kathmandu Saturday November 03, 2001 Kartik 18, 2058.
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Tourist arrivals dip by 34 pc
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Nov 2 - Global downturn in tourism industry after
the September 11 attack in the United States has severely affected Nepalese tourism
industry, resulting a steep decline in tourist inflow in October.
According to statistics provided by Department of Immigration
and compiled by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the total tourist arrivals in October declined
by 34 per cent as compared to corresponding period last year. Of the total decline, third
country tourist arrival declined by over 30 per cent while such decline for the Indian
tourist was over 50 per cent.
Though there was a decline in the total tourist arrival in
this month as compared to last year, the total tourist inflow has increased by over 30 per
cent when compared to similar data of previous month. According to the available
statistics, tourist arrival by air in October was 33,037 while the figure was 25,360 in
last month and 49,871 in the same period last year.
The corresponding decline in tourist arrivals for October is
the highest after a decline of 56 per cent in June following the Royal carnage.
According to the statistics, Belgium is the only country that
has shown an increment of 18 per cent in its tourist arrival this month.
Tek Bahadur Dangi, Director at the NTB says the major reason
behind the decline in the tourist arrival is the devastating terrorist attack in the
United States. "We were expecting the tourism industry to get revived in September
and October but the attack has put cold water over the expectations," he said.
The total tourist arrivals during first ten months of the
current year has shown relatively lower decline of 14 per cent as compared to the
corresponding period last year falling from 299,829 tourists to 258,605 this year. In
spite of a 29 per cent fall in the Indian tourist arrivals, the third country tourist
arrival declined by 8 per cent in the first ten-month.
In country wise tourist inflow, the share of Indian tourists,
that used to make one third of total tourists, has declined to 21 per cent this month. The
tourists from the United States of America albeit a terrorist attack, is in the second
position with 9.72 per cent tourists.
NTB has stated that the aftermath of terrorist attacks in US
and the retaliatory action by the US on Afghanistan as well as the ensuing economic
downturn in the world economy continue to affect every part of the world including the
economic and tourism scenario of Nepal.
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