By Manjima Dhakal, Chitwan, Jan. 22: Tourism entrepreneurs of Sauraha, one of the popular tourist destinations of Nepal, have been preparing to launch different products to lure more tourists, as the number of visitors to the place has declined significantly this winter.

Tourists, both foreign and domestic, tend to visit Sauraha in central Terai in winter. But this winter, Sauraha received fewer tourists than previous years.

In 2020, the entrepreneurs and the government agencies have targeted to bring around 400,000 tourists here, double the number of tourists they welcomed in 2019.

Despite the promotional programmes and new targets, number of international tourists to Chitwan National Park has gone down in the beginning of Visit Nepal Year-2020.

According to Regional Hotel Association Chitwan chairman Deepak Bhattarai, last year about 400 tourists stayed at Sauraha in a day, but now there were only 250 visitors a day.

Though it is not a season for tourists visiting Nepal because they tend to visit sea beaches in New Year and Christmas period, this year the flow of tourists during the two occasions also went down.

The tourism sector of the country had made a revival after the 2015 earthquake. Earlier, the number of tourists had fallen sharply due to the 2015 earthquake followed by border blockade the same year.

“Now the tourism season is going to begin. So, to lure more tourists to Sauraha during the VNY, we have decided to organise programmes in different cities of India and Nepal. The programme will be organised in Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow and other major cities of India,” Bhattarai said.

Besides, they are planning to introduce different programmes to extend the stay of tourists in Sauraha. They have been discussing to introduce night time Safari and organise different types of fairs to give new taste to the guests.

Bhattarai said the VNY-2020 would also help lure more tourists to Nepal. So, entrepreneurs had been hopeful that Sauraha would emerge as an important destination for the tourists.

Sauraha is located at Bacchyauli village in the eastern part of Chitwan district and is famous for observing various wild animals and birds.

The Chitwan National Park, rich in natural beauty and biodiversity, has become one of the most popular destinations for tourists. Located near the park, Sauraha offers a multitude of activities suited for the entertainment of the tourists. It is possible to observe different wild animals and birds in the natural forest of the Chitwan National Park by riding on an elephant or a vehicle.

The adventurous jungle walk, elephant ride, jeep safari, canoe ride, tonka ride, Tharu cultural programme, elephant bath, observation of wildlife trophy exhibition, views of sunrise and sunset are the major tourist activities available in Sauraha.