Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, has drawn 276,620 tourists in the two months of January and February, according to the Lumbini Development Trust. This is almost 100,000 fewer tourists than in the first two months of 2017, when 376,600 visitors had come to Lumbini.Of the 276,620 tourists visiting Lumbini this year, 223,016 were Nepalis, 24,095 were Indians while 29,509 were from other countries, according to the trust’s information officer Rajan Basnet. While the number of Indian tourists increased slightly this year, the number of Nepali tourists went down considerably. The number of tourists from other countries also declined. According to Basnet, tourists from over 50 countries have already visited Lumbini this year. In this period, besides India, Thailand has sent the most number of foreign tourists (7,928) to Lumbini, followed by Myanmar (6,689), Sri Lanka (5,733), China (2,821) and South Korea (1,406).
Tourist arrival had suffered in 2016 because of the twin effects of the earthquake and the blockade. It picked up steam in 2017 only to slow down this year. “Most tourists to Lumbini come via the Nepal-India border. Although their primary destination is Lumbini, they don’t stay here overnight,” said Achyut Guragain, vice-chairman of Nepal Tour and Travels Association. “That’s because they come here with Indian guides, who tell them that although Buddha was born here, other significant places associated with his life all are in India.
As a result, local businesses haven’t been able to flourish as much as they would if the tourists stayed here longer.”
By Salman Khan
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