Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: The number of tourists visiting Chitwan National Park and buffer community forests has increased in the last fiscal year as compared to the previous fiscal year.

A total of 272,923 tourists visited the area in the last fiscal year while 231,329 tourists visited the area in the previous fiscal year, said information officer at the national park, Avinash Thapa Magar.

A total of 22,883 tourists from SAARC countries and 88,665 tourists from other countries visited the national park.

Tourists visit the park for observing elephants, one-horned rhinoceros, tigers, bears, elephants and other species of birds.

The park collected Rs 276.33 million in revenue from ecotourism in the last fiscal year. A total of Rs 311,64,551 revenue was collected under the headings of timber, sale of non-timber forest products and fines.