MYAGDI, Dec 14: Hotels in Annapurna Rural Municipality-6, Ghorepani, a major tourist destination of Myagdi district, will be opened from December 16. Businesses are preparing to operate hotels and restaurants that have been closed for nine months due to possible risk of the spread of Covid-19.
Texar Buduja Pun, a tourism entrepreneur, said the decision to open the hotel was taken to cater domestic as well as foreign tourists after hotel workers started returning to the hotel for jobs. “All public health criteria will be followed. We are now eager to welcome tourists,” Pun said.
According to him, hoteliers in and around Ghorepani will face more crisis if they are closed for a long time because of which they have decided to resume services by following health protocols. Although the number of tourist arrivals is low in winter, domestic tourists visit the area to enjoy snow.
Annapurna base camp hotels to be reopened from mid-September
The tourism businesses have also started to gain momentum as resumption of long-distance vehicle services and domestic and international flights have brought a significant increase in the number of travelers.
The Annapurna Rural Municipality had banned the movement of tourists within the village citing possibility of the transfer of COVID-19 through travelers. Earlier, two Chinese tourists, who had entered Ghorepani were put in quarantine. The rural municipality is under pressure to open hotels in all the tourist areas of Annapurna region as the hotels in Ghorepani decided to resume their services.
Located at an altitude of 3,210 meters above the sea level, Poon Hill is another popular destination for the beautiful mountain ranges, sunrise observation as well as the culture and way of life of Magar people, various species of animals and birds.
Of the total number of tourists entering the district, 60 to 75 percent of tourists reach Ghorpani and Poon Hill that fall within Annapurna Trekking route.
