MANANG: A significant number of tourists have increased in Manang district of Nepal of late. Most of the hotels are chock-a-block after a significant rise in tourists in recent days.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), a total of 124,421 visitors visited Nepal in February,  which was 39 per cent  more than the same month last year. Similarly, 97,694 international visitors came by air while 26,727 came overland.

Furthermore, 16,205 Chinese tourists, 14,571 Indian, 14,831 Sri Lankan, 5,268 English, 3,340 German, 1978, French, 2,978 Australian visited Nepal in February.

SANYA:  White-browed crake, a rare bird species, has been spotted at a wetland park in Sanya City, south China’s Hainan province.

White-browed crake is a small-billed bird around 20 cm long, with distinctive markings on the head and white eyebrows. They usually live in subtropical or tropical mangrove forests and can be found in Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and China.

The rare bird’s conservation status has been classified as LC (least concern) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Veteran bird-watcher Lu Gang said that the bird’s presence in Sanya indicated that local environmental protection efforts were bearing fruit. Sanya has been improving the ecology of its inland wetlands and coastal waters over the years. (Xinhua)

JIRI: As many as  700 tourists stranded at  Kalinchowk of Dolakha district after a snowfall have been rescued by security personnel.

A joint team from Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have rescued nearly 120 tourists.  The tourists reached Kalinchowk to offer prayers at Kalinchowk Bhagawati Temple were stranded after sudden snowfall since Saturday evening.

The 22-member rescue team led by police inspector Madhav Prasad Kafle brought the stuck tourists to safer places. The rescue continued till Sunday evening.