Foreign Tourist Arrivals to Mustang Rise by Over 18 Percent in 2025

Foreign tourist arrivals to Mustang increased by 18.71 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year, with the district welcoming a total of 161,122 international visitors, according to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP).

Data from the ACAP Jomsom office show that Mustang welcomed 25,403 more foreign tourists in 2025 than in 2024, when the district recorded arrival of 135,719 foreign visitors. Rajesh Gupta, chief of the ACAP Jomsom office, told the state-run national news agency RSS that tourist inflows rose steadily from January to August and continued to increase through December.

Of the total foreign tourists in 2025, 132,847 came from SAARC countries, while 28,275 were from other regions. In 2024, a total of 109,549 tourists had visited Mustang from SAARC nations and 26,170 from non-SAARC countries.

Gupta said the number of visitors from SAARC countries increased by 23,298 in 2025, while arrivals from other regions rose by 2,105. This represents a 17.57 percent rise in number of tourists from SAARC countries and a 7.44 percent increase from other parts of the world.

Despite the overall growth, Gupta noted that the anticipated surge in foreign tourists did not fully materialize due to a decline in arrivals during September, October and November, partly attributed to the impact of the Gen-Z movement on September 8 and 9. Tourist arrivals in September fell by 3,638 compared to 2024, followed by decreases of 854 in October and 70 in November.

Initially, ACAP had projected a nearly 30 percent rise in foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, but the slowdown during the autumn months hampered overall growth.

Indian pilgrims continue to dominate foreign tourists visiting Mustang. According to ACAP, about 82 percent of foreign visitors to the district come from SAARC countries, with Indians accounting for more than 90 percent of them.

Indian pilgrims mostly visit the famed Muktinath temple in Mustang while Upper Mustang is also becoming a popular tourism destination in the district.

Stakeholders attribute the increase in number of visitors to the improve road conditions.  – With inputs from RSS