What you should know
Last year, the number of tourists visiting Chitwan National Park, the country's first destination for wildlife viewing, had exceeded 3 lakh. But in the last fiscal year, there has been a significant decrease in the number of tourists visiting Chitwan Park.
According to conservation officer Avinash Thapa Magar, who is the information officer of the park, 2 lakh 31 thousand 329 tourists visited Chitwan Park in the financial year 081/82.
Before that, in 080/81, the maximum number of tourists came to visit Chitwan Park was 3 lakh 6 thousand 837 . In the last financial year, the number of domestic, foreign and SAARC tourists visiting the park has decreased.
Last year's rains, road accidents and highway conditions are estimated to have affected tourism. Two buses fell into the Trishuli in Chitwan's Simaltal during the rainy season. A bus carrying Indian tourists fell into Marsyangdi in Aina Pahra near Ambukhaireni in Tanahun. Cars were also buried in landslides near Kathmandu. These incidents may have been affected by the accident,' Thapa Magar, information officer of the park, estimates.
In the last financial year, 117 thousand 206 natives, 24 thousand 800 people from SAARC countries and 89 thousand 323 foreigners visited Chitwan Park.
Once upon a time, the number of foreigners visiting the park was high. Before the 072 earthquake, more than 127,000 foreign tourists visited the park. The number of foreign tourists that decreased after the earthquake has not reached yet.
In 075/76, the number of foreign tourists exceeded 117 thousand . But after Corona, the number of domestic and foreign tourists is decreasing. The data of Chitwan National Park shows that there has been a significant improvement in the number of domestic tourists after the corona has subsided. In 079/80, the number of domestic tourists visiting the park reached 2 lakh 5 thousand 605 . The inconvenience of the road has also become the reason for the decrease in tourists.
The highway connecting Chitwan with the capital Kathmandu is under reconstruction. The Narayangadh-Bootbal road is in the same condition. Although easy now, the Prithviraj highway connecting Pokhara with Chitwan was in a difficult condition due to its construction last year. Kathmandu's international airport was also closed at night due to maintenance.
A total of 7,309 and 7,450 tourists visited Chitwan Park in July and August of last year respectively. Even in June of this year only 8 thousand 216 people have come to visit Chitwan . According to the statistics of the park, the number of tourists visiting the park exceeds 10,000 in a month.
Chitwan, the country's first national park, is home to rare wild animals such as one-horned rhinoceros, spotted tigers, and crocodiles. Tourists come here to explore the forest on foot with a trained guide (nature guide), go on jeep safaris, elephant safaris in the middle community forests around the park, and stone safaris in rivers and streams. Local tribal Tharu, Darai, Bote community's ritual culture is also preferred by tourists.
