(English) Flow of European tourists in Annapurna trekking all time high

KATHMANDU, Nepal–The flow of foreign tourists, especially from European Countries, visiting Birethanti along the Annapurna trekking route has reached all time high in the first four months of this year in compared to previous years.

As per the statistics provided by the Nayapool Information Centre of the Annapurna Conservation Area, around 10,000 tourists, mainly from the European countries have visited the area till March of this year.

Hotel entrepreneurs said that some 200 foreign tourists especially from European Countries as well as Korea and Japan make their way to the area daily.

According to the Centre, Birethanti witnessed the highest number of tourists in 2013. As many as 50,500 internal and foreign tourists made their way at Birethanti in 2013 while it was 45,000 in 2012.

Chief of the Centre, Tirtharaj Subedi, told state owned news agency RSS that the number of tourists has increased as the area is the main attraction point of the tourists visiting the Ghandruk, Ghorepani, Jomsom of Mustang as well as Upper Mustang and Round Annapurna.

Annapurna trekking has been testified as a naturalist’s paradise. The upper sub-alpine steppe environment havens rare snow leopards and blue sheep while other areas of the region harbors protected bird species such as the multi-coloured Impeyan, kokla, blood pheasant amongst a multitude of other birds, butterflies and insects.