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Kathmandu, January 1: The number of foreign tourists visiting the religious and tourist district of Mustang has increased. According to the National Trust for Nature Conservation’s Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Jomsom, the number of foreign tourists rose by 25,403 in 2025 compared to 2024.

Overall, tourist arrivals in 2025 increased by 18.71 percent compared to the previous year.

ACAP Jomsom Office Chief Rajesh Gupta said that a total of 161,122 foreign tourists entered Mustang between January and December 31, 2025.

According to him, 135,719 foreign tourists had visited Mustang in 2024.

Of the tourists who visited the district last year, 132,847 were from SAARC countries and 28,275 were from other countries. In the preceding year, the figures stood at 109,549 tourists from SAARC countries and 26,170 from other countries.

According to ACAP Chief Gupta, during the 12 months of 2025 compared to 2024, the number of foreign tourists increased by 23,298 from SAARC countries and by 2,105 from other countries. In percentage terms, this represents an increase of 17.57 percent from SAARC countries and 7.44 percent from other countries.

The number of both domestic and foreign tourists visiting the Himalayan district of Mustang has been on the rise. However, ACAP Chief Gupta said that the expected growth in foreign tourist arrivals could not be achieved due to the impact of the Gen Z movement on Bhadra 23 and 24.

Although a nearly 30 percent increase in foreign tourist arrivals had been projected for 2025, the number of tourists declined in September, October, and November, preventing the growth from meeting expectations.

Due to the impact of the youth movement, the number of foreign tourists decreased in September 2025 by 3,638, in October by 854, and in November by 70 compared to the same months in 2024.

ACAP Chief Gupta said that tourist numbers increased from January to August and again from December through the end of 2025.

Indian tourists constitute the majority of visitors to Mustang. ACAP Chief Gupta stated that of the total tourists entering the district, 82 percent were from SAARC countries and 18 percent from other countries, and that more than 90 percent of the SAARC tourists were Indian. (RSS)

People’s News Monitoring Service.