March 13, 2023: With the arrival of the spring season, there has been an increase in tourist activity in Mustang. The road leading to Mustang via Myagdi has seen an increase in traffic, and the Beni-Jomsom road has become crowded.
Tourists are flocking to places such as the Muktinath Temple, Kagbeni, Korala Naka, Lomanthang, Jomsom, Dhumba Tal, Thini, and Lete Lagayat. Ashok Shrestha, the chief of the Jomsom-based office of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), has stated that there has been an increase in both domestic and foreign tourists visiting Mustang.
“The reason for the increase in tourist activity in Mustang is due to the roads and airways that have been established,” he said. “Even the areas around Thorangla, Upper Mustang, and Jomsom have seen an increase in foreign tourists.”
Within the first eleven days of March 2023, 1,844 foreign tourists visited Mustang, as reported by the Jomsom branch of ACAP. In total, there were 3,569 foreign tourists who visited Mustang in the year 2023. In January, 131 tourists visited, and in February, 1,199 tourists visited Mustang.
In 2022, 65,940 tourists from 48 countries visited Mustang, including 46,724 from SAARC countries, 17,202 from China, and 2,822 from other countries.
Most of the tourists in the SAARC region come from India. Myagdi has 50 daily buses that run to Mustang, and there are also flights available.
