Kathmandu, May 28 -- Nepali tourism entrepreneurs say Beijing has fixed a quota of 24,000 Indian pilgrims allowed to travel to Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet via Nepal this season, even as demand has already crossed 40,000.

Last year, the quota for Indian pilgrims was 20,000.

Tour operators also estimate that the number of foreign passport holders joining the pilgrimage could reach 5,000 this year. The Kailash Mansarovar yatra season typically runs from mid-May to September.

"Inquiries are growing rapidly. We have requested the Chinese authorities to allow an additional quota of 15,000, and they appear positive," said Basu Adhikari, managing director of Touch Kailash Travel and Treks.

According to Adhikari, the surge in demand is largely...