Due to road and air problems, tourists have decreased in Chitwan Park, business people say that the tourism industry is in crisis.
What you should know
When the number of foreign tourists visiting Chitwan Park decreased due to the earthquake and corona epidemic, the number of domestic tourists was significant. In recent years, the number of natives visiting Chitwan National Park is also continuously decreasing.
After the earthquake, the movement of foreign tourists who reached Khumchin due to Corona has not improved yet. But during the Korana period, Nepali tourists increased rapidly.
According to the details given by Conservation Officer Avinash Thapa Magar, who is the information officer of the park, a total of two lakh 31 thousand 329 tourists visited the park in the last financial year 081/82. Before that, in the financial year 080/81, the highest number of tourists came to visit Chitwan Park. In the last financial year, there has been a decrease in the number of tourists visiting the park, including domestic, foreign and SAARC region.
The poor condition of the road connecting Chitwan with Kathmandu, Pokhara, Butwal and Bhairahawa, heavy rains, road-to-air accidents, and the night service shutdown for the maintenance of the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu was estimated to have an impact on tourism. But as the number of foreign tourists has decreased, the number of Nepalis has decreased significantly. Which has a big impact on the total number of tourists.
The number of foreigners has not decreased that much compared to the previous year. As domestic tourists have decreased a lot, there has been a big drop in the total number of tourists," said Ganesh Pant, senior conservation officer who is the head of Chitwan National Park. In the last fiscal year 081/82, the number of Nepalis visiting Chitwan Park was 117 thousand 206. Before that, in the financial year 080/81, there were 176 thousand 316 Nepalese visiting the park.
means that 59 thousand 110 domestic tourists have come less compared to the previous financial year. Even if we look at the statistics of the financial year before that, it seems that the number has decreased drastically. In the financial year 079/80, the number of domestic tourists who visited Chitwan Park was two lakh five thousand 605. Earlier, the number of domestic tourists visiting the park was limited to a thousand. A decade ago, in the financial year 070/71, there were 33 thousand 226 Nepalese visiting the park.
The number of Nepali tourists has increased with the Corona period. In the financial year 076/77, 89 thousand 441 Nepalis visited the park. When foreign tourists came to a standstill with the onset of Corona, there was a flood of Nepalis. In the fiscal year 077/78, a total of 1,361 foreign tourists came, while 96,109 Nepalese came. In the following financial year, this number increased to 155,671.
After that, the number of Nepali tourists, which exceeded two lakh in the financial year 079/80, has been continuously decreasing in the last two financial years. In other words, it is clear from the statistics that the number of domestic tourists visiting Chitwan Park has started to decrease. At a time when the number of tourists was decreasing after the earthquake, the tourism sector felt a great relief when the number of Nepali tourists increased.
But the number of foreign tourists is not restored and the number of Nepali tourists is also decreasing. The number of Nepalis increased slightly after the earthquake and reached a high point after Corona and now it has started to decrease again. Our area is related to Pokhara, Bhairahawa and Kathmandu. The number of tourists in Chitwan is also affected by the condition of road and air transport in this area," said Suman Ghimire, former president of the Regional Hotel Association (HAN) Sauraha.
After Corona, Ghimire has experienced that there is an increase in the feeling that one should travel in Nepali. Ghimire said, "It is not just about earning, but when epidemics like this happen suddenly, it seems that Nepali people have come to the mind of earning, traveling and having fun." He said that the tradition of traveling with family has also increased since then. When those living abroad came home on vacation, it became a custom to go out together.
'But when he comes to Chitwan, he always rides the same elephant jeep, because he has been doing safaris on the same route for years, maybe his interest is decreasing' said Ghimire. "Again, recently the economy is not strong enough to move around. Needless to say, Nepali tourists and foreigners have different styles. Foreign tourists do not ride elephants much.
Domestic tourists come to Sauraha just to ride elephants. The Baghmara Intermediate Community Forest around Sauraha is a forest where elephant safaris are frequent. Baghmara's main base, which earns more than three million rupees a year, is the elephant safari, which depends on Nepali tourists. "We are preaching that Sauraha will ride on elephants. If the number of tourists is low, it will affect the income," said Bhuvaneshwar Prasad (BP) Choudhary, president of the forest.
Ramkumar Aryal, an old tourism businessman and conservationist from Chitwan, says that the number of tourists has been affected due to the unfavorable environment of the country and the international community. The indigenous tourists provided great relief in the crisis. Now the crisis in the tourism business may increase when the number of natives starts to decrease,'' said Aryal. He urged all parties to come up with a strategy regarding tourism.
'Economic recession and other problems are global. But it does not mean that tourists have decreased in all parts of the world. He has already gone to Vietnam and Thailand. Nepali people also go there a lot. The time has come to consider this aspect and make a strategy," said Aryal.
Senior conservation officer Ganesh Pant, who is the head of Chitwan National Park, says that the numbers have not been affected by the park.
'Suddenly increased after covid and then the number decreased due to the issue of personal income? This became the subject of study. We are constantly working to protect the park and manage tourism. The issue of the number of tourists is beyond the management of the park," said Pant. He says that the management within the park is good due to the increase in the number of animals and the improvement of the condition of the safari route.
Chitwan National Park is the first national park in the country and is also the first destination for domestic and foreign tourists interested in wildlife viewing. Animals and birds such as tigers, one-horned rhinoceros, and gazelles, which are rare in the world, can be seen in this park. Nature guide Vasu Bidari says that the number of foreign tourists visiting birds has been increasing recently. Jeep safaris in the park and community forests, elephant safaris in the middle forests outside the park, boat safaris are the main tourist activities here. Tourists also like the culture of the tribal Tharu community.
