They say the decision has not just hurt their business, but will also affect tourist arrivals during the ongoing Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011 campaign.[break]
Nepal is a popular entry point for Indian and third-country tourists. They mostly visit Mt Kailash and Manasarovar Lake in Tibet. Tourists buying the Tibetan packages keep the tourism business rolling during monsoon. The cost of package ranges from $1,700 to $2,000 per person.
Tenzin Norbu, president of Association of Kailash Tour Operators of Nepal (AKTON), quoting Lhasa-based travel agents, said the Chinese Embassy had stopped issuing permits from June 20. “We´ve heard that it will continue till July-end, but there has been no formal announcement," Norbu added.
Achyut Sharma Guragain, managing director of Sea and Sky Tours & Travels, said about 25 percent of the package cost was being spent in Nepal as Tibet-bound tourists stay at least 3-4 nights in Nepal. “Cancellation of Tibet groups has affected our business turnover,” said Guragain who is also the secretary of Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA).
The cancellation has affected the occupancy of hotels in Kathmandu and Pokhara as most of the tourists buying the package are also scheduled to visit Pashupatinath and Muktinath temples.
C N Pandey, owner of Pokhara-based Hotel Landmark, said occupancy of his hotel has dropped to around 15 percent. “We were enjoying 65-70 percent occupancy during the same period last year,” Pandey added.
Avik JB Singh, deputy sales and marketing manager of Hotel De l´ Annapurna, echoed Pandey and said occupancy has dropped in recent month due to the very reason.
Tour operators say non-refundable tickets issued by India-based airlines have affected more than a dozen and half tour operators selling Tibet packages. They say this is the first time that China stopped issuing permit without any formal information for such a long time.
Meanwhile, tour operators selling Tibet packages have registered separate memorandums at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), seeking the government´s initiative in resolving the uncertainty.
Officials of Nepal Tourism Board informed they have already asked the MoTCA and MoFA to resolve the issue. "This is a diplomatic issue and hence should be dealt with by the government,” Kashi Raj Bhandari, director of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), said.
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