According to data recorded by the Immigration Office at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), a total of 56,009 foreigners landed at the airport this month up from 50,567 visitors recorded in October 2008. However, 216 less visitors entered the country in the first nine months of 2009 as compared to the arrival figures in the same period last year.
The number of visitors from the SAARC region, not including Afghanistan and Maldives, went up by 6.8 percent in October while those from China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Israel, Taiwan and Thailand went up by 37.47 percent, according to a statement issued by Nepal Tourism Board. Arrivals from India and China went up by 20.1 percent and 116.4 percent respectively to 6,585 and 2,870. However, arrival of Bangladeshis dropped by 49.5 percent in the month.
Tourist arrivals from 16 major European countries, which make up 44 percent of the total arrivals, rose from last October´s 22,635 to 24,847 this year. Among the 16 nations, arrivals from Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Spain and Sweden declined while arrivals from the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Italy rose.
Among the other major countries, visits by citizens of the USA went up by 14.3 percent to 5,351. Similarly, 2,350 Australians and 1,309 Canadians arrived in Nepal via air during the month, which was 20.6 percent and 21.3 percent more than the figure recorded in October last year.
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India - 6,585
UK - 5,475
France - 4,763
Germany - 4,224
USA - 4,042
(Source: Immigration Office, TIA)
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