The tourism sector of Nepal has witnessed encouraging growth in the number of international tourists arriving through air in April owing to restoration of peace and a better security situation in the country.

According to the statistics released by the Immigration Office, Tribhuvan International Airport on Saturday, arrivals of the tourists via air route increased by a whopping 78.8 percent in April 2007 compared to the same month in the previous year.

A total of 33,024 visitors came to Nepal during the period, which is a record high for the number of international visitors entering Nepal by air route in the month of April since 2002. Some 18,465 tourists visited the country in the same month last year.

The encouraging figure also includes visitors from Nepal's northern and southern neighbors. The countrywise data shows that the number of Chinese tourists jumped by 267 percent while the Indian tourists visiting Nepal by air saw a whooping growth of 110 percent from April 2006.

Similarly, arrival of tourists from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) segment grew tremendously during the period. The tourists visiting Nepal from the Asian continent grew by 137.4 percent during the period. Some 1,950 Japanese, up 90 percent, came to Nepal while South Korean tourists visiting Nepal saw a staggering growth of 177.5 percent this April.

European arrivals secured one-third-market share during the month, with encouraging growth from major generating markets like the United Kingdom by 44.5 percent, France by 58.4 percent and Germany by 83.6 percent.

Tourism entrepreneurs said that with the restoration of peace, foreigners had been showing keen interest and confidence to visit Nepal.

"The demand for Nepal as preferred destination has lately improved by many fold mainly due to two major reasons: the enhanced destination image resulting from peace and stability within the country, and a slightly better air connectivity," a press release issued by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said.

The NTB, however, said that shortage of air seats continued to hamper further growth as industry sources complained that many groups had to be canceled due to lack of air seats.

Source: Xinhua