Nepal aims to change Lumbini’s image as ‘hit-and-run’ destination with $85m loan

Despite luxury hotels, an international airport, and growing tourism infrastructure, the majority of visitors spend under an hour at the Buddha’s birthplace.

The average length of stay of foreign tourists in Nepal is 12 days, but most travellers visiting Lumbini, one of the world’s most iconic Buddhist pilgrimage sites, spend barely 30 minutes at the holy site.