After Kathmandu, Pokhara is the biggest tourist destination in Nepal. Pokhara has the ability to meet all the needs of all types of visitors. Trekking for nature lovers, water trips, mountain climbing for adventure tourists, sky diving, bungee, ultra flying, homestays for culture seekers, visits to religious and cultural areas and local cuisine for food connoisseurs, all these are available in Pokhara.

It seems that the construction of Pokhara International Airport will further support the development of tourism here.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), accommodations such as hotels, lodges, and homestays play a major role in making any destination a success. In today's world, tourists are not satisfied with accommodation alone. A comfortable, modern, convenient and safe accommodation is also a must. Tourism is a collaboration between airlines, transportation and accommodation.

Among these, accommodation including hotels provide necessary facilities and comfort to tourists. Due to this, the tourist's journey becomes more enjoyable, memorable and stress-free. If these three areas are not in harmony, the tourist destination will be overshadowed. 

Today, there is competition in the private sector to build tourist-class hotels for comfortable and safe accommodation. This competition is spread from Lakeside of Pokhara up to Sarangkot, Panchase, Sikles, Rupakot, Lekhnath. Apart from Kaski, tourist level hotels are being expanded to Bandipur, Palpa, Syangja, Manang, Mustang, Gorkha in Tanahun for comfortable stay, said Hari Prasad Sharma, Gandaki Province President of Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN).

Hotels are being built rapidly inside and outside Pokhara. 4 five-star hotels are coming into operation soon in Pokhara,' Gayre, who is also the owner of Pokhara Village Hotel, said, 'The hotel area of ​​Pokhara has developed the capacity to serve 10,000 tourists daily. The infrastructure to serve one million tourists annually has been prepared in Pokhara.' Since then, the construction of hotels and restaurants has increased. According to the "National Hotel and Restaurant Survey" published by the National Statistics Office on December 17, the number of establishments related to hospitality, including hotels, lodges, resorts, homestays, and restaurants, is 141,223. Of these, there are 16,976 in Gandaki. In which the number of tourist level hotels and restaurants run by women is about 49 percent.  The permanent assets of all these institutions in the scope of the

survey have reached 5 trillion 43 billion 250 million 82 million rupees. In which permanent assets equal to 1 trillion 6 billion 644 million rupees have been invested in hospitality in Gandaki alone. The hospitality sector of Gandaki has directly created employment for 12 thousand people.

Hospitality sector alone is producing services worth 37.79 billion annually. The survey showed that hotels and restaurants here spend 2 billion 38 million rupees annually on salaries of various types of employees. The restaurants in Gandaki can serve 213,000 people at a time (single sitting) for restaurants that do not accommodate guests but have family gatherings and meals for a few hours. 

The National Bank has stated that tourist arrivals in Gandaki region increased by 6 percent annually in 2080/81. Similarly, hotel bed sales also increased by 24 percent. The minimum occupancy of hotels is 30 percent due to the increase in domestic tourists. It was 24 percent in the previous year. According to the tourism board, tourists stay in Pokhara from homestays to hotels and apartments.

All these are not under the supervision of government machinery. 'There is no data record of Indian tourists coming from India by bus and private vehicle in any government channel,' said senior manager of the board, Naveen Pokharel, 'Every day before the English New Year, 3/4 lakh domestic tourists are present at the street festival organized by Pokhara Rewan, but they are also counted. It has not happened. Gaye, the president of the Gandaki Province Hotel Association, says that the actual data of tourists has not been collected in Pokhara. However, he says that hotels are now expanding near tourist areas, airports or city centers. Moreover, hotels are now compulsorily introducing local traditions, food and art. It has helped to bring travelers closer to their destinations. Apart from creating jobs, hotels also consume local products. The hotel has also been contributing to the local economy by collaborating with restaurants, transportation services and tour operators near the hotel. 

The facilities-rich hotels and infrastructures that are being added to Pokhara from the private sector are becoming not only accommodation for tourists but also an important part of making their experience the best. The umbrella organization of star and tourist-class hotels (HAN) has been identifying Pokhara as the gateway to Annapurna in its publications. The starting point for entering the various footpaths of the Annapurna Conservation Area starts from here. That's why Pokhara is called the 'Gateway of the Himalayas' just as Lukla is the gateway to the world's highest peak Everest. 

Gandaki is famous as a global attraction for trekking and mountaineering lovers due to its beautiful scenery of Annapurna and Machhapuchhre snow ranges. Foreigners consider Pokhara's tranquil lakes, especially Dunga Sayer and Lakeside at Phewatal, to be the ideal destination for a relaxing time. Talbarahi temple in the middle of the lake has religious and cultural importance among domestic tourists. 

In recent times, Pokhara is famous for adventure travel with exciting activities like paragliding, zipline and ultralight flights. Starting from the old airport of Pokhara, the ultralight brings a unique view of the snow range before the eyes of the tourists. Vindhyavasini Temple and Vishwa Shanti Stupa showcase the richness of Pokhara's cultural heritage.

International mountain museum, Raithane products and old markets have helped foreigners to understand the traditions and lifestyle of Nepal. Pokhara is known worldwide for its natural beauty and warm hospitality. The then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal declared Pokhara as the tourist capital of Nepal at the 'Pokhara Festival' held in 2080 Chait. 

In 2024, 27 thousand 422 flights took place here. Premnath Thakur, head of the Pokhara International Airport office, said that 1 million 24 thousand 257 passengers took service from these flights. This is the aggregate data of both the old airport (Fewa) and the new airport of Pokhara. Now there are flights for helicopters and Mustangs from Fewa.