Basantapur Durbar Square, a world heritage site in the heart of Kathmandu, collected around Rs 1.3 million on a single day Tuesday from entrance fees of tourists.
Chief of Hanumandhoka Durbar protection program at the Kathmandu Metropolis City Udaya Bahadur Pasakhala said the Durbar square's income on Tuesday from the entry fee was over one million. This is the day when the most number of tourists visited it throughout this year. It, at other regular days, usually earns one million. Hanuman Dhoka is one of the monuments insides the area.
The number of tourists from both home and abroad have started gradually increasing in the square since the earthquake. The latest data shows that most of foreign tourists arriving here are from China, Germany and France.
A tourist from the SAARC countries should pay Rs 150 to enter the historic area the charge for a tourist from other countries is Rs 1,000.
Post-quake reconstruction efforts at the site have been intensified, according to Pasakhala. We have the target of increasing such income to Rs 1.5 million by welcoming more and more tourists, he added.
Among the monuments damaged by the 2015 April earthquake, the Gaddi Baithak has been already rebuilt.
Likewise, restorations of the Nautale Durbar (nine-story palace) and the Kasthmandap are underway. These monuments are considered the most important heritages here.
The Kumari Ghar (the home of the living goddess of Kathmandu) lies here and technical study and evaluation of its quake sensitivity are going on. Entry for internal tourists is free here. The site is home to around three dozens of heritages and 10 were completely damaged by the quake while others suffered minor damages.
