Nepal tourism booms in August

Nepal experienced a boom in tourist visits in August, with air arrivals rising by 17.8%.

According to figures from the country's tourism board, this activity pushed the number of arrivals at Kathmandu international airport for this year to 220,076, an increase of 33% on the first eight months of 2006.

Nepali tourist officials are reportedly optimistic about the autumn and winter seasons for visits to the country, as the summer months are generally seen as the off-season for tourism.

The tourism board said: 'The European market registered a healthy growth of 36% in August, which is generally considered the low season for international tourist arrivals.'

It added: 'Major European markets like the UK (32.5%), Germany (38.9%), France (32.9%), Italy (34.2%) and Spain (46.4%) registered healthy growth.'

Opodo, UK