Impact of Bhote Koshi Flood: Tourist Arrivals in Mustang Drop by 47.78%
Following the devastating flood in the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa, tourist arrivals in Mustang have sharply declined. According to the District Police Office Mustang, 29,274 fewer tourists visited in Bhadra compared to Shrawan, a decrease of 47.78 percent.
Kathmandu — After the catastrophic flood in the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa on Bhadra 10, the tourism sector of the Himalayan district of Mustang has been significantly affected. According to tourist statistics from the District Police Office Mustang, the number of domestic and international tourist arrivals in Mustang decreased in Bhadra compared to Shrawan of the current fiscal year.
Even though the Kaligandaki Corridor (Beni–Jomsom–Korala) road section was blocked dozens of times in Shrawan due to floods, landslides, and river erosion, tourist arrivals in Mustang remained notable. However, after the Rasuwa flood, police data shows a sharp drop in tourist arrivals in Mustang.
According to police, 29,274 fewer tourists visited in Bhadra compared to Shrawan of the current fiscal year. This is a 47.78 percent decrease in Bhadra compared to the previous month. According to the tourist arrival details from the Ghasa police post at the border of Myagdi and Mustang under the District Police Office Mustang, in Shrawan of the current fiscal year, a total of 61,263 tourists entered Mustang: 30,655 domestic, 31,575 from SAARC, and 193 from other countries.
Similarly, in Bhadra of the current fiscal year, 31,989 tourists came to Mustang: 16,503 domestic, 15,138 from SAARC, and 348 from other countries. According to Police Inspector Santosh Basyal, information officer at the District Police Office Mustang, compared to Shrawan, after the Rasuwa flood in Bhadra, domestic tourist arrivals decreased by 14,152 (46.16 percent) and SAARC tourist arrivals by 16,437 (52.05 percent).
However, while the number of domestic and SAARC tourists decreased, tourists from other countries increased compared to the previous month. In the previous Shrawan, 193 tourists from other countries visited Mustang, but in Bhadra, an additional 155 arrived, bringing the total to 348 foreign tourists from other countries, according to Inspector Basyal.
The District Police Office Mustang reported that a total of 93,252 domestic and international tourists entered Mustang in Shrawan and Bhadra of the current fiscal year. According to Inspector Basyal, in Shrawan and Bhadra, 47,158 domestic, 46,713 SAARC, and 441 tourists from other countries visited Mustang.
Inspector Basyal noted that the Rasuwa flood on Bhadra 10 might have led to fewer tourists visiting Mustang because all Nepali people were in mourning. In the previous fiscal year 2082/83, 19,781 tourists visited Mustang in Shrawan and 23,205 in Bhadra. Although the number of tourists increased in Shrawan and Bhadra of the current fiscal year compared to the same months last year, the data shows a decrease in tourist arrivals in Bhadra compared to Shrawan of the current fiscal year.