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Ceasefire fostering tourism prospectsTuesday - 20th September 2005 |
| KATHMANDU, Sept 19 - Peak season of tourism has just begun. Joyous expressions can be seen among tourism entrepreneurs, as the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Maoists has brought a fresh lifeline to the hard-hit tourism industry. A quick survey conducted by the Post shows that tourists are far more eager and confident to make a trip to Nepal. Booking and inquires in hotels, trekking agencies and other service centers related with have gone up remarkably for this peak season, say tourism entrepreneurs. Normally, peak season of tourism begins in mid-September and lasts until mid-December. The entrepreneurs are now upbeat, enthusiastic, and hopeful with latest indication of their business, which has just begun to pick up this time. "The ceasefire has brought long-waited cheers among the entrepreneurs," says Narendra Bajracharya, president of Hotel Association Nepal (HAN). He also informed that following the declaration of the ceasefire, there has been around 15 percent rise in hotel reservations for this season. Shikhar Prasai, managing director of Natraj Tours and Travels Pvt. Ltd. said the company has registered over 25 percent growth in the bookings as compared to the corresponding period last year. "Obviously, there is a positive indication in the business due to the ceasefire," says Rajib Malla, general manager of Soaltee Hotel. "Lots of inquiries have been coming and the pace of booking for this season is speeding up", he adds. He predicted that if the current trend of booking is anything to go by, the number of tourists might increase in the range of 20 to 30 percent during this season. "In fact, the ceasefire has improved the situation. But, it is too early to see remarkable growth in the tourist arrivals right now," Deepak Mahat, president of Trekking Agencies Association Nepal (TAAN). "Nevertheless, we expect an increment of around 20 percent in the tourist arrivals for trekking purpose throughout the season," he said. The latest figure of Nepal Tourism Board shows that the number of tourists dropped by 17.2 percent to 157,184 during the first eight months this year. "The business was very bad during the last peak-season. But, the scenario is very encouraging this time," said Mahat. Notwithstanding the improvement, tourism entrepreneurs said that a lot needs to be done to cash in the opportunities offered by the ceasefire. "We should give an immediate attention to improve our marketing strategy to lure more tourists, taking advantage of the ceasefire," said Bashant Mishra, president of Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO). He said that it is a high time for the industry to launch a massive publicity program in the international market to enhance the tainted image of the country. "In addition, we must convince the foreign tour operators about the safety of tourists visiting the country," he said. Bajracharya laid emphasis on persuading Kathmandu based foreign embassies not to put stringent travel advisories on Nepal. J.L. Khanna, managing director of Yeti Travels said we are already late to attract deluxe tourists who come in-groups "But, there is still time enough to persuade the tourists who make trip on individual basis," he said. |
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