Tourist season in Pokhara and throughout the country begins in September - around the same time when the nation celebrates its biggest festival Dashain. To make hay while the sun shines, most of the hotel operators do not allow employees to go home during the festive season.[break]
“It´s natural for every employee to want to go home during the festival,” Hari Sharma Gaire, first vice-president of the Western Region Hotel Association told Republica. “But since we can´t afford to lose business, employees have to compromise and take leave in turns.
“As regards compensation, workers who work during festival period are given extra allowances or bonuses so that there are no grievances.”
Pokhara has around 500 hotels that cater to foreign tourists. These hotels employ around 5,000 people, according to estimates of the association.
Pokhara Village Resort, for instance, is allowing five of its 16 employees to go on leave this Dashain. Gaire, who is the promoter of the resort, said a few others will be taking leave during Tihar while he himself is planning to celebrate Dashain with employees in his hotel instead with family members.
Bikal Tulachan, general secretary of the Western Region Hotel Association and promoter of Fair Mount Hotel, has also turned into a busy bee with the advent of tourist season. He is also planning to celebrate Dashain with hotel employees instead with family members.
“This is the time when tourist flow reaches its peak,” he told Republica. “So, we prefer serving our guests rather than enjoying time with family members.”
He, however, said he is allowing staff, who live in the vicinity of the hotel, to take leave during Dashain.
Most of the hotels in Pokhara these days boast 100 percent occupancy rate. Many of the rooms in the western city have also been booked till December.
Occupancy rate in Shangrila Village, which is famous among Japanese, German and British tourists, for instance, has touched 100 percent, Gupta Bahadur Giri, front office manager of the hotel, told Republica. He said October, November and December are the months when rooms are hardly vacant.
Pokhara Grand, a five-star hotel famous among Japanese and Chinese tourists, also said the hotel´s rooms are fully booked until December.
“If there are no strikes, this season will be the best tourist season since the year 2000,” entrepreneurs said.
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