With the country moving in the direction of peace and stability, the arrival of tourists via air to Nepal increased by 7.2 percent in July as compared to the same month last year, the Nepal Tourism Board said Thursday, quoting the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

According to the data of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, a total of 20,904 visitors entered Nepal during the month, as compared to 18,840 of the same period last year.

Arrival of India tourists rose by 13.1 percent in the month of July as compared to that of last year. A total of 10,019 visitors arrived in the month of July as compared to 8,859 in the same month last year.

Overall arrival of tourists from third countries also increased by 2 percent in this July. In particular, tourists from Austria and Sweden increased significantly by 135.5 percent and 156.3 percent respectively.

Similarly, 47.4 percent more Canadian tourists arrived in Nepal last month as compared to July last year.

Indian visitors continued to be the single largest contributor accounting for 47.9 percent of the total arrival of tourists.

The total arrival of tourists from January to July rose by 8.6 percent as compared to the same period of last year. A total of 142,499 tourists arrived via air from January to July this year, up from 131,210 of the last year.

A press release issued by the Nepal Tourism Board Thursday said, "The July trend indicates the returning consumer confidence particularly from Nepal's primary markets. The growing peace and stability in the destination has been instrumental for this growth. "

"The promotional campaigns launched by the Nepal Tourism Board in India, based on the new tourism brand, is expected to be more effective in this atmosphere," the press release said.

Source: Xinhua