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| Kathmandu, Monday March 03, 2003 Falgun 19, 2059. |
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Praying
for lasting peace, adventure seekers cruise down white water rapids
By Surendra Phuyal
SUKUTE (Sindhupalchok)
March 2 : This isolated resort village on the banks of the Bhote Koshi River along the
Arniko Highway yesterday welcomed about 200 local and international visitors, who came for
rafting and kayaking - and the fun and thrill associated with the adventure sports.
And it was not a
business-as-usual kind of thing. Until last month, the raging Bhote Koshi and the
dozen-odd resorts along its banks, would be devoid of visitors, literally. But the
cease-fire declared more than a month ago seems to have opened the floodgates for
visitors, just as the nation observes Destination Nepal Campaign 2002-2003.
"The cease-fire -
declared on January 29 - has instilled some hope. So there’s some respite in
sight," said Arun Gurung, the President of All Nepal River Guides Association
(ANARGA), which has over 300 river guides as members. "There is peace. That’s
why more and more foreigners are willing to visit Nepal. Even local tourists are in
outdoor mood these days."
That hundreds of people
from Kathmandu, foreign tourists among them, came here to raft down the Bhote Koshi rapids
from Balefi to Sukute Koshi Saturday afternoon says it all. Buckling up their safety
helmets and life jackets, the adventure-lovers boarded the rubber rafts and kayaks and
cascaded down the snow-fed river.
Their bodies leaning
back and forth, the adventure-seekers paddled on - at time very hard - to sail through the
white water rapids, which are dubbed by many as the pure flow of adrenaline.
"This is my first
time, and I enjoyed a lot," said Meena Sharma, a Thamel restaurateur. She was among
the dozens of young Nepali ladies, who had come over for the fun of it. "It’s
fun, the air is so clean out here. I will come again and again," added her shy
friend, who refused to be identified.
In Thamel, the tourist
district of Kathmandu, the population of backpackers is gradually swelling. There is a new
shine in the depressed faces of both the small and big-time entrepreneurs. And the influx
of tourists is expected to go up during mid-spring and coming autumn season.
"The news of
cease-fire has definitely circulated far and wide, the bookings have doubled in our
hotel," said Rajan Shakya of Kathmandu Guest House. "The number of tourists has
definitely gone up. But since most travellers take time to decide, the possible impact
would be known only by coming autumn."
Figures released last
month by the Immigration Office, Department of Immigration, at the Tribhuwan International
Airport, showed some signs of recovery. The growth observed in January 2003 stood at 19
percent over the same period in the previous year. While Indian visitors singly
contributed 38 percent growth, arrivals from the third country remained at 11 percent.
In January, a total of
16,103 tourists visited Nepal with a net increase of 2,527 visitors, according to the
Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). In fact, travel trade has weathered enough of bad publicity in
recent times. And that has affected hundreds of small-time tourism entrepreneurs like
Mahendra Singh Thapa of Equator Expeditions, who owns a rafting company and a resort on
the scenic banks of the Bhote Koshi here.
"The arrivals
started dipping, and that compelled many to fold up," Thapa, who is also the
president of Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (NARA), said. "Two years ago, we had
70 rafting companies under NARA, but now there are hardly 37 left. The situation is quite
depressing, you know."
The steep fall in
arrivals has also hit thousands of tourism professionals like Resham Lama, who is a river
guide, and hundreds of thousands of others who indirectly benefit from the hospitality
business. "2002 was the most difficult year," he sighs. "There was not much
work. We were finding it extremely difficult even to make our ends meet."
According to figures
made available by the NARA, approximately 15 percent of the tourists visiting Nepal like
to go on various rafting expeditions that range from relatively easier Trishuli and Seti,
to extremely difficult Karnali, Marshyangdi and Tamor. So far, the government has opened
altogether 16 rivers for rafting.
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