The total number of tourists visiting Nepal in July increased marginally by 1.3 percent over the same period of last year, the Nepal Tourism Board said Wednesday.

Altogether 17,587 visitors from different parts of the world came to Nepal by air in July this year, against the arrival of 17,811 tourists into this country in July 2003, according to a press release issued by the tourism board.

Tourist arrivals from Nepal's traditional markets, namely Britain, France, Germany and Japan recorded increases of 17 percent, 21 percent, 15 percent and 6 percent respectively, whereas the United States market remained stable.

The country's tourist industry also recorded a robust growth of 57 percent of Chinese tourists, as the number surged to 332.

However, the number of Indian tourists arriving in Nepal went down by 16 percent to 7,186 visitors.

Meanwhile, the total tourist arrivals during the first seven months of this year have risen by 31.8 percent vis-à-vis the corresponding period last year.

"The increase in non-Indian segment indicates that fact of growing consumer confidence towards Nepal," said Tek Bahadur Dangi, chief executive officer of the Nepal Tourism Board.

Tourism is one of the major foreign currency earners for Nepal, which boasts of unique landscapes and cultures, and earns about US$170 million for the country every year. In recent years however, the country's tourist industry suffered a downturn due to the anti-government insurgency.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2004)