Tourist arrivals to Nepal by air in the month of August saw a 16.4 percent growth as compared to the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. The total number of foreign tourists in this period surged to a total of 25,974 as compared to 22,311 tourists in the same month last year. In August, the arrival of Indian tourists went up by 80 percent, the ministry quoting the Immigration Office Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), said.