December 09 2005

After witnessing a recession in the business for a long time the tourism industry entrepreneurs are heaving a sigh of relief following the unilateral ceasefire

By THAKUR AMGAI

Following the unilateral ceasefire by the Maoists in September, the tourism industry this season healed the wounds inflicted by conflict since a long time. The previous season following the February 1 step had been particularly grim for the tourism industry.

Popular landscape : Attractin for tourists

Statistics have shown that there has been a huge increase in the tourist arrivals in the recent months. The month of September witnessed a whopping 46.5 per cent growth in tourist arrival via the air route compared to the same period last year. Like wise, August and October had witnessed a growth of about 15 per cent compared to the previous year.

While there was fear that the tourist arrival would decline in the month of November following the poignant Kangru incident where a 7 members of a French expedition team including 11 Nepali porters and guides were lost in an avalanche in Kangru Himal and the early snow fall in the popular trekking trails such as the Annapurna Circuit, statistics have shown that tourist arrival increased by 14 per cent in the month of November, too.

Tourism entrepreneurs and experts attribute the increment in the tourist arrival to the unilateral ceasefire by the Maoists. Likewise, the arrival this season was also largely affected by the reduction in the international flight tariffs.

Interestingly, in direct connection to the increased number of tourist arrivals, the aviation industry of Nepal also witnessed a new record this season. The month of October also witnesses the record highest number of flights at the Tribhuwan International Airport providing further evidence that the travel had increased. While there used to be 200 flights on average per day at TIA, the month of October saw 277 flights on average. On a particular day, TIA saw 317 flights on a single day, the highest in the history of civil aviation in Nepal .

The hotels and lodges in the popular trekking trails – which had been vacant since a long time has done a good business this year. According to a source at the Annapurna Conservation Area Project, the number of tourists visiting the Annapurna region would have continued to increase until the end of January.

Although, the next month is not a good season for tourist, this is the time when the maximum number of Indian tourists visits Nepal . Cultural tourists who visit Nepal for sight seeing, jungle safari and mountain flights are likely increase in the next month.

The tourism entrepreneurs are keeping their fingers crossed in the hope of the truce being extended further to ensure a permanent end to violence. “Most of the travel and trekking companies did a good business this season recovering the losses they had incurred in the past,” said a tourism entrepreneur. “We are hoping that the truce will continue some how until the next season, at least.”