Tourist arrival up in Bouddhanath

Tourist arrival in Bouddhanath Stupa has increased in the first six months of 2008 by 6.52% as compared to the arrival figure of same period last year.According to the Bouddhanath Area Development Committee (BADC), a total of 61,232 foreign visitors visited Bouddhanath Stupa up to June this year. Only 54,168 foreign visitors had visited Bouddhanath in the same period last year.Dilip Kumar Lama, president of BADC, said that the number of visitors from the non-SAARC countries was recording a remarkable growth rate. By the month of June, the number of visitors from non-SAARC countries has increased by 20.6 percent against the same months last year. 'The visitors from Korea, Japan and Thailand come to visit Baudhanath area in a large scale,' Lama says.With the increase in tourist arrival, the revenue generated from the tourist arrival has also increased. According to Lama, BADC collected around Rs. 4.3 million in the first six months of 2008 which is an increment of 18.33 percent as compared to the same period last year.Bouddhnath is one of the biggest stupa in Nepal and it has been identified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.-TAAN