Nepal tourism slumps after coup

Nepal
Nepal's scenery attracts thousands
The number of tourists visiting Nepal has fallen by over a third since King Gyanendra seized power in February.

Officials said the decline was due mainly to what they called negative media coverage after the royal coup.

Foreign governments advised against travel to Nepal. A bloody Maoist uprising has also discouraged tourists.

The latest drop in numbers is a blow to the impoverished Himalayan nation, where tourism is a major source of foreign exchange earnings.

State of emergency

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said just over 50,000 tourists visited the country between February and April - well below the 86,000 arrivals during the same period last year.


For tourists, everything is functioning normal here. There is no reason for them to feel scared or doubtful
NTB spokesman Aditya Baral
NTB officials said tourists were simply afraid to visit the country after a state of emergency was imposed on 1 February. The emergency was lifted last week.

NTB official Saroj Pandey told the BBC arrivals from India had dropped by a third. A campaign had been launched to allay fears among potential Indian visitors, he said.

Nepal earned nearly $200m from some 350,000 tourists who visited the country in the year 2003.

Figures for last year were not available.