GANDAKI: A total of 30,199 foreign tourists visited the Annapurna region in March.

This includes 14,668 tourists from South Asian countries and 15,531 tourists from other countries, according to According to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP).

The arrival of tourists has increased with the end of the cold season and the number is expected to grow further in April, said Chief of ACAP Dr Rabin Kadaria.

In 2023, a total of 191,558 tourists from 173 countries had visited the Annapurna region, a record so far.

It surpassed the highest so far of 181,000 before Corona Virus pandemic in 2019. The number was 129,733 in 2022.

The Annapurna base camp, Mardi Himal, Ghandruk, Tilicho Lake in Manang, Thorangla Pass, Upper Mustang, Muktinath area, Ghodepani in Myagdi on the Annapurna circuit are major attractions for tourists visiting the region.

Kaski, Lamjung, Manang, Myagdi and Mustang fall under the ACAP spread over an area of 7600 square kilometers.