Chitwan National Park tourist inflow up 7.5pc

Chitwan National Park (CNP) data shows 95,357 domestic and foreign tourists visited the wildlife park in the first eight month of the fiscal year 2017-18, a 7.5% increase compared to the same period in 2016-17. Chitwan National Park tourist inflow up 7.5pc

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Published at : April 1, 2018

Updated at : April 1, 2018 08:12

Kathmandu

The number of tourists visiting CNP in the first eight months of this year surpasses the 88,727 tourists that the park recorded in the same period in 2016-17.

The break-up of total tourists visiting the park in the first eight months of this year includes 65,084 foreign, 21,366 domestic and 8,907 from South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) countries.

CNP Information Officer Nurendra Aryal said, “The number of tourists visiting CNP shows a steady increase, barring 2015-16 when the number of inward bound tourists dropped because of the earthquake in 2015 followed by the blockade.”

Following the earthquake and the blockade, 87,391 tourists visited CNP in 2015-16. The drop in 2015-16 was dramatic because 178,000 tourists visited in 2014-15.

In the fiscal year 2016-17, 139,125 tourists - 87,190 foreign, 15,879 from SAARC and 36,056 internal tourists - visited the CNP and the park collected Rs. 220 million revenue.

CNP home to 125 tigers and 605 one-horned rhinos attracts more foreign tourists compared to other national parks, making it the most profitable park in Nepal.

The CNP charges Rs. 1,500 and Rs. 100 exclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT) for foreign and Nepali tourists as entry fees respectively, and Rs. 4,000 for every safari vehicle entering the park.

According to park statistics, more than 90 per cent of their income account from tourists whereas they also charge for boating, filming inside the park, and fines among other topics.

In the first eight months of this fiscal year, the CNP has collected over Rs107 million from tourist entry fees and Rs 4.25 million from vehicles entering for jungle safari. CNP earned Rs 92 million and Rs 163 million from tourist entry revenue in FY 2015-16 and FY 2016-17 respectively.