The Swayambhu Management and Conservation General Committee is providing free entry to foreign tourists coming to visit the Swoyambhunath Stupa area on the occasion of the 2560th Buddha Jayanti on May 21. Visitors from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries are charged Rs 50 and those from other countries Rs 200 per person as entry fee on normal days. Vice-president of the General Committee Gyanu Lama said that tourists would be benefited from the entry fee waiver, a special offer to celebrate the birth anniversary of the Buddha. The General Committee collects approximately more than 100 thousand rupees per day on an average from entry fee from foreign tourists during the peak tourism season and around Rs 50 thousand on normal days. The Swayambhunath Stupa, a major Buddhist holy site in the capital, suffered much damage due to the devastating earthquake on April 25 last year. The number of tourists visiting the site has gone down since then, said Mahendra Ratna Bajracharya, general-secretary of the General Committee.
