By Abinash Chaudhary
Dhangadhi, Mar. 17: The number of tourists visiting the Shukla Phanta National Park in Sudurpashchim Province has started increasing – raising hope that the region’s tourism stifled by the COVID-19 pandemic may be regaining momentum.

“With the coronavirus pandemic subsiding, the number of visitors has started going up,” Kishor Kumar Mehta, chief conservation officer at the national park, said. “But it’s not much. Many of those coming are domestic tourists.”

This is peak tourist season for this national park located in Kanchanpur. The months January to May is considered the best time to visit Shukla Phanta, best known as the habitat of swamp deer. “But not many foreigners have come this time around,” Mehta said. However, he admitted that the number was greater than previous months.

Nurendra Aryal, information officer for the park, also told The Rising Nepal that visitor numbers were on the rise and looked good. “Things are not as good as they were before the pandemic but the situation is improving. Both domestic and foreign tourists are coming to the national park these days,” he said.

According to Aryal, 2,935 tourists, including three foreigners, visited Shukla Phanta in the last fiscal year 2021/22. Before that, in the fiscal year 2020/21, 1,775 tourists, including 100 foreigners, visited the national park – the youngest in the country.

Tourism in Sudurpashchim, like all over the country, had received a blow due to the pandemic and the restrictions imposed to contain it. But now, things look set to improve, said nature guide Kum Thakur. “We are getting regular work now,” he said.