9,447 Foreign Tourists Entered Nepal Via Kakarbhitta in FY 2082/83

Jhapa. Nine thousand four hundred and forty-seven foreign tourists entered Nepal via the eastern border of Kakarbhitta by land route in the last fiscal year 2082/83. According to the acting chief of the Immigration Office Kakarbhitta, Indrakumar Rajbanshi, an average of 26 foreign tourists entered Nepal through this border daily during that period. The number of Indian tourists is not included in this data as a visa is not mandatory for citizens of the neighboring country India.

Although citizens of 86 countries commuted through the border, the highest number of tourists were from Bhutan. A total of 53 percent, or 4,994, were Bhutanese citizens. Similarly, the second highest were citizens from America, with 23 percent, or 2,152 tourists, entering from there, informed acting chief Rajbanshi.

According to the office's data, the months of Poush and Magh are considered the main tourist seasons at the eastern border. The highest number of tourists, 1,850, entered Nepal in the month of Poush, while the lowest, only 216, came in the month of Bhadra.

The reason for the increase in arrivals during Poush and Magh is that Bhutanese citizens come to visit relatives in Jhapa and surrounding areas and to visit Haleshi Mahadev in Khotang, known as the Pashupatinath of the East, as there are winter holidays in Bhutan, said acting chief Rajbanshi.

The Immigration Office stated that since full immigration services have only been started from this border from August 2024, many foreign tourists are still not sufficiently aware of using this border.