Tourism entrepreneurs claimed that although more domestic tourists were drawn toward these activities, the number foreign tourists opting for adventure related tourism activities do not look enthusiastic at all.[break]
President of Trekking Agencies´ Association of Nepal (TAAN), Sitaram Sapkota who also operates Karayang Kurung Treks and Expedition said that trekking related enquiries for the upcoming season has not been positive so far. “The trekking industry has not benefited from the growth in the tourist arrivals,” he said.
Although rafting operators said the turnover was getting better, they attributed the growth solely to domestic tourists. Nani Kaji Thapa, the president of Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (NARA), backed the claim. “Number of domestic tourist has gone up significantly, comprising 40 percent of our total business,” he added. He said that nearly 20,000 tourists signed up for rafting this spring (March-May) which is just little above last year´s figure. On an average, more than 60,000 raft Nepali rivers every year.
Sapkota seconded Thapa´s claim and said, “In certain section of Everest, Annapurna Trek, Ghorepani and Pun-hill, the number of Nepali trekker has gone up,” he said, adding that although the actual figure was yet to be compiled, travel agents have reported positive growth in number of domestic tourist who prefer trekking under 5-6 days package.
Trekking agents said that the growth in arrivals was limited to Indian, Chinese and tourists from other South-Asian countries, none of whom are potential clients for trekking. “Major clients who prefer trekking and other adventure activities are Europeans, but the promotional program for NTY is yet to reach Europe, mainly because of the delayed budget,” Sapkota told Republica.
Tourists who come for trekking are considered as high-end clients based on the number of days they stay and huge money they spend compared to other tourists who come for sight-seeing only. The decline in the number of trekkers is sure to reduce tourism income, despite growth in arrivals.
The response from travel agents is also not so different. “We are just observing natural growth and it is neither overwhelming nor depressing,” Lamichhane said, adding that adventure sports and trekking has not registered positive growth compared to last year because tourists are more interested in other activities. “Large number of tourists visiting Nepal is showing interest towards cultural-experience programs like home-visits,” he said.
Tour operators suggest although the numerical growth was a positive sign, it was not yielding any good result in terms of revenue. “The only satisfactory point is that the number has increased and we can hope the number of high-end client might increase next year,” Sapkota said.
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