Nepal's protected areas attract 7 lakh tourists

Nepal's national parks and conservation areas witnessed a whopping 700,000 tourists in the last 12 months, authorities said today.

Nepal, which has 12 national parks, is home to dozens of rare and endangered species including one-horned rhino, royal bengal tiger, snow leopard and red panda.

The Himalayan nation is known for its rich bio-diversity and genetic resources.

Sagarmatha National Park and Chitawan National Park are the most popular protected areas of the country.

Of the 700,000 tourists, 325,856 were foreigners, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation said in a statement.

These conservation areas collected Rs 646 million in revenue in the year 2017/18, officials said.

"At least 60 per cent of all foreign tourists in Nepal explore parks and conservation areas," said the Ministry of Forests and Environment.