More foreign tourists visit Kanchenjunga region

By Chandra Pandak,Taplejung, June 21: The number of foreign tourists visiting the Kanchenjunga region, home to the world’s third and country’s second highest mountain, has increased this year compared to last year.

According to data from the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Office, a total of 1,264 foreign tourists visited the Kanchenjunga region by mid-June of the current fiscal year. 

This is the highest number recorded so far, showing a clear increase in tourist arrivals compared to previous years.

Among the visitors this year, 803 were men and 461 women. Of the total, 40 were from SAARC countries, while the rest came from outside the SAARC region, said Adarsha Kshetri, the information officer at the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Office. Mjority of tourists came from the United States, the United Kingdom and France, he added.

The highest number of tourists was recorded from mid-October to mid-November, with 566 foreign visitors. After that, 247 came in September/October, 216 in March/April and 206 in April/May.

By mid-June, only 52 domestic tourists had visited the Kanchenjunga region. 

Last fiscal year, a total of 1,056 foreign tourists visited Kanchenjunga, 39 from SAARC countries and 1,017 from other countries, according to the Conservation Area Office. Only 35 domestic tourists visited the area that year.

Tourists usually visit the Kanchenjunga region during two main seasons each year. The first season is from September to November and the second is from March to June, as per the Conservation Area Office.