SOLUKHUMBU: A total of 55,979 tourists visited the Khumbu region in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, according to the information provided by the Sagarmatha National Park, which houses the world’s highest peak – Mt Everest.    
The national park’s Information Officer, Manoj Kumar Mandal, said most of the visitors were foreign tourists. According to Mandal, 48,402 foreign tourists visited the park in the review period while the number of domestic tourists was 7,577.    
Most of the tourists visited the Khumbu region in the Nepali months of Baishakh (mid-April to mid-May) and the least in Shrawan (mid-July to mid-August). The month of Baishakh is the tourist season while Shrawn has adverse weather, resulting into least footfall, Mandal added.    
Meanwhile, the national park collected Rs 136 million in revenue in the last 11 months. Every Nepali is charged Rs 100, while to those from SAARC countries have to pay Rs 1,500 each and foreign tourists are charged entry fee of Rs 3,000 for visiting the national park. -- RSS