The number of tourists visiting the country decreased by 2.54 percent in 2005 as compared to last year due to the political instability and conflict of the country.
According to the latest data, a total of 375,501 tourists visited the country in 2005, down from 385,297 tourists in 2004 via both air and through land, reported Kantipur daily.
Tourist arrivals by air inched down by 3.9 percent in 2005. Some 277,129 tourists visited the country by air during this period, as compared to 288,356 tourists in the previous year.
Tek Bahadur Dangi
Tek Bahadur Dangi (File Photo)
Meanwhile chief executive officer of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) Tek Bahadur Dangi said that adverse travel advisories issued by various countries in recent times have affected tourism industry.
Dangi said this at a press meet organised by the NTB to inform about the PATA Gold Award 2006 (CD-ROM) received by NTB from among global competitors.
He said that due to travel advisories, there have been group cancellations that have eroded tourist numbers, adding, NTB has been intensifying its activities for the promotion of religious and regional tourism.
Uncertainty looms large: Tourists visiting Thamel in Kathmandu
Uncertainty looms large: Tourists visiting Thamel in Kathmandu
(File Photo)
The CD-ROM is a multilingual interactive multimedia package (English, German and French) containing over 600 pages of text, 35 video clips, 450 high quality images, 25 maps, 20 music tracks, six screen savers, four virtual reality files and three auto running presentations of 10 minute each, according to reports.
PATA gold award 2006 was given on nine titles such as CD-ROM (NTB), Website (Tourism Malaysia), Travel Video (Yokoso, Japan), Tour Operator/Agent (Okinawa Tourist Service, Japan), Destination Country (New Zealand), Destination City (Sydney), Airlines (Singapore Airlines), Airport (International)-Munich Airport, Germany and Business Hotel (Hilton Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).