40 percent of hikers canceled their bookings

Tourism businessmen of Pokhara say, 'The government should give the message that the tourism sector is safe.'

Ashwin 2, 2082

Deepak Pariyar

40 percent of hikers canceled their bookings

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If the time is right, Pokhara's trekking guide Hira Mall used to be in Ghorepani-Punhill with a group of hiking tourists from Australia. Those tourists, who were going to come for the trek through her own company, Mall Sisters Women Adventure Guides, have canceled their 'booking' saying that Nepal has become turbulent after the recent protests.

 

Malla said that she has heard many reports of foreign tourists canceling their bookings saying that Nepal is unsafe after the recent demonstrations and arson and vandalism. "There is a negative message when the performance is at the beginning of the tourist season," she said, "even the tourists who want to come to Nepal are not confident." She said that a Canadian group that was scheduled to go on the Manaslu trekking route in the middle of October will not come. 

The arrival of trekking tourists starts in Pokhara from the last week of August. This number is higher in October and October. Pokhara's tourism is active because of the tourists who go on short and long distance treks in the Annapurna region. But due to the effect of 'Zen-G' movement, the number of tourists coming this season is going to decrease . "Even a small incident affects a sensitive area like tourism," said Malla, "Now the Nepalese government should convey the message internationally that Nepal is safe." He said that even though tourists were not harmed in the demonstration, they felt unsafe to come to Nepal due to social media. "After Corona, it was seen that this time tourism will be in a rhythm," he says, "Arson in chain hotels, arson in the lake side beach market has sent a bad message." 

Trekking tourists come to Nepal only with insurance. In the current situation, foreign insurance companies are refusing to insure tourists, some tourism professionals said. Acharya told that bookings are being canceled and new inquiries are also low because insurers have to pay expensive amounts. Tourists who want to come are inquiring at their embassies, because the embassies of some countries have issued travel advisories, bookings are being canceled and put on hold, he said.

Pokhara's hotels, restaurants, trekking equipment shops and other big to small businesses are running because of the tourists who come for the trek. After the latest demonstration, hotels and restaurants along the hiking route including Pokhara are also going to be affected. According to Laxman Subedi, president of Hotel Association Pokhara, 20 to 25 percent of tourists have canceled hotel bookings. When the tourist season starts, Pokhara hotels have very low occupancy. "September bookings have already been cancelled, new bookings for October are very few," he said, "the tourist visits are reduced and the arrival of Indian tourists is reduced, so the market is deserted." Subedi recalled that during the tourist season before Covid, there was 98 percent occupancy in hotels in Pokhara. "This year, it was said that we will return to the pre-Covid situation," he said, "After the Maoist war, people's movement, earthquake, blockade, and Corona, the tourism sector has been hit again. If the movement continues, it is difficult to get up.' He suggests that the message that the movement has ended in Nepal in two days and there is no insecurity for tourists should be conveyed to the international market.

According to Maniraj Lamichhane, head of Nepal Tourism Board Pokhara, the arrival of tourists this year has decreased by 40 percent compared to the same period last year. The Board estimates that the number of tourists this season will be 10 to 15 percent less than last year. "The message has gone out that even international chain hotels are not safe among the high-spending tourists," he says, "Now we need to prepare a strategy to spread positive messages through social media." Even during the

movement, a video of the tourist bus being welcomed by the protestors went viral. Tourism professionals say that such scenes can send a message that tourists are not insecure even during protests. 

Lamichhane emphasized that Nepal is safe for tourists and now it has returned to its old state. 2 lakh 78 thousand 113 tourists visited the Annapurna conservation area in the financial year 081/82. Among them, 1 lakh 57 thousand 786 are Indians. This number means that a large number of tourists can be brought in if they can convey the message that Nepal is safe for tourists.  Other news related to

 

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