BMD

There are strong indications that global tourism may rebound with a gradual drop in the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in most parts of the world. Many countries around the globe have removed COVID-related restrictions, which has led to a rise in the mobility of international travellers. Nepal has also followed suit. The Kathmandu Valley has fully been free from such curbs since Saturday (March 5) when the country reported just 91 fresh coronavirus cases with zero casualties.

Nepal’s tourism industry has now started picking up steadily. Last month, the country welcomed more than 20,000 foreign tourists. As the global public health crisis is subsiding significantly at the start of the spring season, the country may record a robust tourism recovery soon.

For the past couple of weeks, major tourist destinations like Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and Lumbini have hosted an increasing number of Indian and other international tourists. Thamel, a major tourist hub in Kathmandu, now sees more tourists strolling around. The number of trekkers and other nature lovers visiting the country is also on the rise.

With this encouraging tourism recovery trend, hotels, restaurants, airlines, and other hospitality-related enterprises have been reopening bit by bit. Tourism is a sensitive but resilient sector. It begins bouncing back as soon as a favourable situation emerges. The improved situation has brought a lot of cheers to all the tourism stakeholders.

Several foreign international airlines have resumed their flights to Kathmandu. Four more foreign carriers — Gulf Air from Bahrain, Thai Smile Airways, GoAir from India, and Wizz Air from Hungary — are in the process of connecting Nepal. Once these airlines begin operating their regular services, the country is sure to receive more tourists. The newly-built Gautam Buddha International Airport is coming into operation commercially from the upcoming Buddha Jayanti (May 16). This is an important event for all those following Buddhism.

A couple of days ago, an aircraft from Thailand’s Aerothai conducted calibration flights at the airport. Airlines from different Buddhist nations such as Thailand are expected to launch their scheduled flights to and from Lumbini. Visiting Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, is a lifetime dream of millions of Buddhists worldwide. Thus, Lumbini is very important for Buddhists like Mecca for Muslims and Vatican City for Christians.
Tourism is undoubtedly a vital sector of Nepal’s economy. In terms of foreign exchange earnings in the country, tourism stands second after the remittance sector. The travel industry creates a lot of jobs and directly and indirectly supports a myriad of other sectors such as agriculture, livestock farming, poultry farming, handicraft, and so on. Many people have lost their jobs to the pandemic since its outbreak two years ago.

Several South Asian and Southeast Asian nations like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam are preparing to reopen for international tourists. This will definitely assist our tourism to grow.
However, fuel prices have gone up considerably, leading to a rise in tour packages, with the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. Domestic airlines in Nepal have increased airfares. Some political parties have been found staging street protests and calling for strikes. Such activities may be detrimental to the revival of tourism. Another worrisome matter is that neither the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) nor the tourism recovery committee seems to be serious about helping the ailing tourism sector revive.