SARS and the Iraq war may have taken a toll on our tourism but May saw an remarkable spike in Indian arrivals. A total of 10,182 Indians visited Nepal last month, marking a 30 percent growth over last May. The influx was attributed to holiday packages floated by Indian Airlines, Summer Getaway by NTB and five-star hotels in Nepal. The nation's present SARS-free status has also made it a popular alternative for Indian vacationers. Long-haul and third country arrivals from Germany, Japan and the US, however, plummeted.