By Our Correspondent
Hetauda, Aug : 16  Operators of hotels and homestays in Chitlang, northern part of Makawanpur district, have decided not to open their businesses owing to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Earlier, Chitlang Tourism Entrepreneurs’ Association had decided to open hotels and homestays from August 17 expecting the situation turning to normalcy.

Ram Saran Nepal, president of the association, said that they had decided not to resume their tourism business from August 17 considering the increase of infection of COVID-19 in the country.

“Our major source of guests is Kathmandu Valley. As the infection rate in Kathmandu is increasing, we see very slim chance of visitors coming from Kathmandu; therefore, we decided not to open our closed business by taking risk,” Nepal said.

“We had made all preparations for re-opening of hotels and homestays from August 17 by taking required cleaning and maintenance works. Now the time of opening businesses has been postponed by one month,” he said.

Before the lockdown, Chitlang was receiving more than 500 domestic and international visitors in a week. Tourism entrepreneurs have shared that they are facing problem in paying installments of bank credit and bearing other administrative expenditures.

There are four resorts and 19 homestays in Chitlang which have remained closed since March 24.

Meanwhile, hotels and restaurants located in other parts of the district opened from July 30 after four-month-long lockdown have again closed after 10 days of operation due to the prohibitory order of the local government.

The local government has enforced a week-long prohibitory order from August 10 as a move to combat the spread of COVID-19 infection.
President of Hotel Association Makwanpur Shankar Lal Shrestha said that hoteliers who had just opened their businesses were forced to close them after the prohibitory order.

Shrestha said that hotel entrepreneurs of the district were facing monthly losses worth of Rs. 158 million after the enforcement of lockdown. Altogether, there are 360 hotels and resorts in the district.