14.2 percent increase in foreign tourists

As of early Dec 2024, 4,061 foreign tourists have visited Upper Mustang. In comparison, 3,484 foreign tourists visited the region in the entire year of 2023. While the number of tourists increased by 14.2 percent in 2024, the average percentage of tourists visiting Upper Mustang this year is 0.71 percent lower than in 2023.

In 2023, 90,356 foreign tourists visited Mustang district, with only 3,484 (3.85 percent) traveling to Upper Mustang. From January to November 2024, a total of 128,991 foreign tourists visited Mustang, of whom 4,061 went to Upper Mustang, according to the National Trust for Nature Conservation's Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) office in Lo Manthang.

In 2023, 139 tourists from SAARC countries and 3,345 other foreign tourists visited Upper Mustang. This figure rose to 226 SAARC tourists and 3,835 other foreign tourists in 2024, marking an increase of 87 SAARC tourists and 490 other foreign tourists.

ACAP Lo Manthang Office Chief, Umesh Poudel, noted a statistical increase in tourist arrivals in 2024. “Although the percentage of visitors to Upper Mustang compared to the whole district is lower, the actual number of both SAARC and foreign tourists has slightly increased,” Poudel said.

Factors contributing to this increase include the easing of Covid-19 risks, the introduction of online ticketing for the Annapurna Conservation Area, international media coverage of Mustang, and the promotion of Upper Mustang’s religious and cultural heritage.

Despite the yearly growth in foreign tourist arrivals in Mustang, only about three percent of these visitors venture to Upper Mustang. This is attributed to its remote geography, high permit fees, and restrictions. Upper Mustang, situated near the northern Chinese border at Korala, is known for its 1,400-year-old palaces, monasteries, stupas, and other archaeological and cultural sites such as the Lo Manthang Palace, Zhong Cave, Ghar Gumba, and Luri Gumba. These sites attract tourists interested in research and Tibetan culture.

The $500 fee for a 10-day permit to Upper Mustang, with an additional $50 per day for overstaying, is a major deterrent. Restrictions also limit access to VIP tourists, with geopolitical sensitivities exacerbated by China’s monitoring of the area following the Tibetan monk Karmapa Lama’s escape to India through Korala in 2000.

Local leaders and tourism entrepreneurs have urged the government to lift these restrictions or reduce the fees to boost tourism. On Oct 30, representatives of Lo Manthang Rural Municipality, Lo Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality, and three other local levels submitted a memorandum to Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak during the inauguration of an immigration office in Korala. They argued that viewing Upper Mustang from a security perspective was harming its tourism potential and economic prosperity.

Similar appeals were made to former Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha and then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal during their visit to Mustang in 2023 for the Climate Dialogue program. However, the government has yet to act on these demands, according to Lopsang Chomphel Bista, chairman of Lo Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality, who emphasized the need to address the concerns of the people of Upper Mustang.