2007 tourist arrivals in Nepal highest in seven years

South Asia News

Jan 2, 2008, 4:32 GMT

Kathmandu - Nepal's tourism industry recorded its biggest growth in 2007, making it the most successful in seven years, thanks to the peace process with the Maoists and better air connections, tourism officials said Wednesday. The Nepal Tourism Board said preliminary figures for the year showed that the total tourist arrivals for 2007 crossed the half-million mark but said a full report was still expected. 'The total number of tourists arriving by air in 2007 was 27.1 per cent higher than in 2006; 360,350 visitors arrived in Nepal through Kathmandu airport, the highest since 2000,' the board said. The figure does not include visitors arriving overland from Tibet and India, but in December, authorities said more than 150,000 people had crossed overland into Nepal since January. 'One of the main reasons for growth in 2007 in tourist arrivals is the ongoing peace process and relative political stability in the county,' the board said. 'Another reason is good air connectivity with many destinations along with the operation of nine new international airlines to Nepal in 2007.' The major markets of Europe and North America recorded high growth in 2007: 46.8 per cent for North America and 38 per cent for Europe, the board said. Arrivals from Asian countries also recorded growth of 49.4 per cent with Chinese tourists leading the way with a surge in tourist arrivals of 120.9 per cent. Nearly 14,500 Chinese tourists visited Nepal in 2007, up from 6,500 in 2006. The tourism industry is one of Nepal's biggest foreign exchange earners, bringing in millions of dollars to the impoverished country and providing employment to hundreds of thousands of people. However, the industry suffered during the 11-year Maoist insurgency, which ended with a peace pact in November 2006. Before then, hundreds of tourism-related businesses and hotels closed. The board was optimistic, however, for the industry's prospects in 2008, pointing to new airlines flying to Nepal and existing airlines increasing the number of their flights to Nepal. © 2008 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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2007 tourist arrivals in Nepal highest in seven years

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