Shey-Phoksundo Lake, Nepal's deepest lake and often referred to as the "blue diamond," continues to draw domestic and international tourists despite plummeting temperatures in the region.

According to Nurendra Aryal, Chief Conservation Officer at Shey-Phoksundo National Park, 1,632 tourists visited the Phoksundo Lake area between mid-July and mid-October. Among them, domestic tourists outnumbered international visitors. Over the past five months, 326 tourists from SAARC and other countries visited the lake, generating revenue of Rs 1.053 million.

Since the start of the current fiscal year, the Park has collected Rs 6.57 million from forest produce, eco-tourism, and entry charges. The rising popularity of Shey-Phoksundo as a domestic travel destination is attributed to its stunning natural beauty and its proximity to other attractions like Tripurasundari Temple, Shey Monastery, and Dho Tarap.

Laxman Devkota, a local from Tripurasundari Municipality-1, emphasized the growing number of domestic tourists in recent years. He noted that tourism could increase significantly if flights between Nepalgunj and Dolpa were made more regular, the Bheri corridor road was improved, and better hotel facilities were established.

Hoteliers in Dunai, the district headquarters, remarked that Dolpa benefits more from domestic tourists than international ones in terms of trade and business growth. Most domestic tourists travel to Dolpa by motorcycle, taking advantage of the accessible route via Nepalgunj-Surkhet-Jajarkot-Rukum road. -- RSS