Entrepreneurs expect surge in domestic tourists during elections

By Santosh Subedi,Kaski, Mar. 3: According to tourism entrepreneurs, the 'second high season' for tourism begins in March. This season will last until May, and is considered a major tourism period. 

However, election is scheduled to take place during this peak tourist season. The House of Representatives election is scheduled to be held on March 5. As the elections fall right at the start of the tourism season, tourism entrepreneurs fear that the arrival of foreign visitors may be affected.

Mani Raj Lamichhane, Chief of the Gandaki Province Office of the Nepal Tourism Board, said that the tourism season may not be as good as expected. 

He said that there is no possibility of foreign tourists coming due to the election and the attack on Iran.

"Due to the election, some bookings and tourism activities have decreased. On top of that, tourists from European countries are not able to come due to the attack on Iran. That is why this season does not seem to be as expected,'' he said.Lamichhane said that as stock market investments increase and oil prices rise, tourism arrivals could be affected. 

He added that rather than focusing on Western countries, the NTB should now focus more on attracting tourists from Eastern regions such as Thailand, Singapore, and China. Laxman Subedi, president of the Hotel Association, Pokhara, said that the election has not been that uncomfortable so far. 

“The tourist arrival season has begun. It is the right time for tourists to go on trekking. Even though there is a long holiday during the election, there will be no shortage of tourists,” he said. 

According to him, the number of domestic and Indian tourists is very good now. “There have been no booking cancellations. Due to the long holiday, we expect domestic tourists to come for travel. The number of tourists from countries other than India is quite low,” he added.

According to Subedi, the current occupancy rate is 30 per cent. 

There are approximately 1,200 tourist-standard hotels operating in Pokhara, of which around 700 are concentrated in the Lakeside and Damside areas. Hotels in Pokhara have the capacity to accommodate about 40,000 guests per night.

He said that investment in various hotels continues alongside the growth in tourist arrivals in Pokhara. 

According to Subedi, there has been an investment of approximately Rs. 800 billion in Pokhara’s tourism sector, of which around Rs. 600 billion has been invested in the hotel business alone. 

About 15,000 people are directly employed in this sector, he informed.

Due to the impact of the Gen Z movement, tourists who were preparing to come were stopped, while tourists who had already arrived had shortened their stay and returned in a hurry. 

According to tourism entrepreneurs, about 90 per cent of existing bookings were canceled during that time due to the movement. "As a result, the tourism sector had become nearly deserted. However, the situation is now gradually improving," he said.