By Chandra Pandak
Taplejung, Nov. 30: Global COVID-19 pandemic has badly affected hotels and service industries of the country, including Taplejung district.
Most of the hotels in Kanchanjangha base camp remain deserted after the prohibition imposed in the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There have been gradual movements of people and public transportation, in the industries sector and other areas of economy with the beginning of festival season. However, hotel and service industries could not revive to their previous state. Hundreds of entrepreneurs in Kanchanjangha circuit are in trouble now.
Hotels in Sekathum, Japantar, Amjilesa, Gyabla, Fale, Khambachen and other areas of Faktanglung Rural Municipality and the surroundings of Kanchanjangha base camp are calm these days with same reason.
Mingmadndu Sherpa, a local resident of Ghunsa, said that the hotels used to have full occupancy at this time in previous years. “It is isolated this year because no tourist activities have revived due to the coronavirus,” he added.
A huge number of people from across from the globe used to visit Mt. Kanchanjangha, the third highest peak in the world in the past years. “The investors are in trouble,” Sherpa said, adding that there was huge investment in hotels targeting tourist activities in the season.
Not only locals of the base camp, but also the entrepreneurs of the areas like Ghunsa, Gyabla, Fale and Amjilesa were also in trouble because hotels and mountain climbing were their main occupation.
Pema Sherpa, a local hotel entrepreneur, said that he was in uneasy situation because of the obstruction to his profession. “I am in uneasy situation because I am facing problems of managing my household livelihoods,” he said.
All consumable goods purchased for the hotels paying high prices were left in the store. Sherpa pays Rs. 127 for a kilogram to carry consumable goods from district headquarters Fungling to Lonak. “I am bearing huge losses in my business,” he added.
According to him, they have to bring the goods first by tractor, then donkey and yak for the business where entrepreneurs have to pay huge amount for each kilogram of goods transported.
Tasi Tenjing Sherpa also has similar experience. He said he himself consumed the things he brought for his hotel in previous season. “Most of the things I consumed myself for survival, some of the products were destroyed as their consumption dates expired and some are still left in the store,” he added.
Another entrepreneur Chuwang Sherpa has three hotels in Tnangyam, Gyabla and Khambachain.
He said that the losses they bore this year would take several years for the recovery.
“If it does not revive soon, we have to search for alternatives,” he said. There are around 100 hotels in Kanchanjangha base camp. Thousands of tourists from around the globe and local tourists used to visit this place every year before COVID-19 outbreak.