By Our Reporter

Although Nepal is said to be a popular tourist destination and Nepalis are poor, the latest report of the Nepal Rastra Bank showed otherwise.

Nepalis have spent much more time abroad than the tourists spent in Nepal in the first six months of the current fiscal year. The NRB report showed that foreign tourists spent Rs. 41. 86 billion in Nepal in six months while Nepalis took Rs.101.9 billion out of the country under travel headings.

Among the amount, Rs. 56.8 billion was taken out by the Nepali students for overseas studies. 

According to the report, the travel income increased by 5.1 per cent while the expenditure on the same heading went up by 10 per cent. In total, including the money taken on business and health expenditures, nearly Rs. 200 billion went out of the country in six months. Rs. 2. 2 billion went out on business heading, Rs. 99.7 billion on personal heading, Rs. 350 million on health heading, Rs. 56. 8 billion of education heading went out in six months. In the corresponding period last year. Only Rs. 58 billion went out.