Effects Of US-Afghan War Likely On Nepal’s Tourism

America has already issued a "Death or Alive" wanted notice for the Saudi national Osama bin Laden, who is the prime suspect of the September 11 attacks on America’s economic and military centres, the World Trade Center in New York and Pentagon in Washington D.C.

Laden along with his die-hard followers are hiding in war-ravaged Afghanistan. Since America has said that it would take action against the Taliban regime if they continued to harbour the terrorists. The US has already issued an ultimatum to the Taliban leadership to hand over bin Laden to the US or face the forthcoming consequences. It seems war between the military might America and war-torn Afghanistan is imminent since the Taliban have declined to heed unless the US authorities produced evidence against the alleged culprits. The consequences will surely be devastating for Afghanistan. And undoubtedly, their ripple effects will be felt as far away as Nepal—which currently derives a considerable portion of its foreign exchange from tourism.

But tourism is an industry that is susceptible to any trouble in the region. Nepal’s tourism sector, already suffering from the ongoing Maoists’ insurgency, will certainly plunge into chaos if war erupts between America and Afghanistan. It is high time for our concerned tourism authorities and organisations to come up with contingency plans to offset the impending slump in Nepal’s tourism sector.

Nanu Basnet
Gyaneshwar, Kathmandu