Kathmandu: Notwithstanding a decline in Indian tourists arrival, Nepal's tourism business has jumped to an all time high, a year and a half after the Himalayan nation witnessed restoration of peace with the Maoists joining the mainstream politics.

Nearly 466,506 tourists have already visited Nepal in the last 11 months (January-November 2007), data compiled by the Immigration Department and Nepal Tourism board, showed.

The Indian tourists visiting Nepal by air registered negative growth in November last, witnessing 19 per cent decline in Indian arrivals to 5,451.

Lack of air seat capacity and political turmoil in southern plains are the main reasons behind the decline in Indian arrivals, the Nepal Tourism Board said.

The Himalayan country launched Visit Nepal Year campaign in 1998 with the aim of boosting domestic as well as international tourist inflow. A total of 491,504 tourists had visited Nepal in 1999, the Board said.

In the first 11 months this year, the number of visitors coming to Nepal by air jumped by 28.6 per cent to 330,455, up from 257,054 last year.

"If the current trend continues, the tourist arrivals will automatically cross the 500,000 figure in 2007," said Sarad Pradhan, media advisor at the Nepal Tourism Board. 

Source : PTI