Almost all the five star hotels had reported growth in bookings in March, which is also considered beginning of the season for trekking, rafting, and hiking, last year. [break]Hoteliers say drop in the booking is mainly due to low bookings from European countries. They also said bookings from Indian and Japanese market were also down.
According to the hoteliers, there have been no enquiries from corporate clients and MICE (Meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions) segment for the month.
Pawan Rajbhandari, associate director -- sales & marketing at Radisson Hotel Kathmandu said the month was not looking promising so far.
“Most of the guests during this time are Indians. We are still hoping some last minute bookings,” he said. “Bookings for March stand at around 60 percent, which is lower compared to the same month last year.”
Though booking for February was satisfactory due to increased movement of Chinese tourists, March is not looking good, said Bharat Joshi of Hotel Yak and Yeti. “With the bookings made so far, we can say that our occupancy in March will stand at 55 percent,” added Joshi.
Joshi said there has been massive decline in bookings from European and Indian segments compared to March, 2012.
Rojin Shakya, business development manager of Gokarna Forest Resort, also said bookings for February-March were disappointing. “The occupancy in February is definitely better than January, but it is less compared to our occupancy in February, 2012.”
Shakya said room booking in his hotel for February is at 75 percent. “But as most of the bookings are from China, the chances of last minute cancellation are high,” he said. “In March, we mostly cater to European tourists who mostly come for trekking and other adventure activities. Booking form this segment has declined this year.”
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