By Amar Raj Naharki

Tanahun, Feb. 29 The number of tourists visiting Bandipur, a major tourist destination in Tanahun district, has decreased with tourists cancelling their bookings.
While there used to be a big crowd of foreign tourists at Bandipur at this season in the past, their number has declined sharply this time.
According to the Bandipur unit of Tanahun Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the rate of cancellation of bookings is high.
“More than 40 per cent of bookings have been cancelled by tourists. It has affected the prospects of tourism in Bandipur,” said Bais Gurung, chairperson of the Bandipur unit.
According to Gurung, one of the major reasons for tourists cancelling the bookings and the reduction in their number is Covid-19, popularly known as corona virus.
“The rate of tourists coming in my hotel has decreased by 50 per cent this year,” said Bijay Kumar Karki, owner of Bandipur Palace Hotel and Lodge.
In a bid to attract more tourists, tourism industrialists in Bandipur have urged the government to focus in bringing tourists from nearby Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India. According to them, the countries share religious, traditional and cultural practices similar to Nepal’s.