POKHARA, May 20: Himalayan Handicrafts of Lakeside -- a shop selling handicraft products -- has remained shut since the earthquake.
Raj Gurung, proprietor of the shop which used to open 365 days a year, chose to pull down the shutter as there are no buyers. “I had opened the shop for two days after the earthquake of April 25. But the shop has remained closed since the aftershock of May 12, as there are no tourists,” Gurung said.
“Tourists, who were still in Pokhara after the quake of April 25 left the city after last Tuesday’s aftershock.”
Want to party till dawn? Lakeside is the place!
The shop, which opened seven years ago, used to open for business even during bandas and strikes.
“There is no point opening the shop when there are no tourists – the major buyers,” added Gurung.
Though Pokhara is untouched by the earthquake, the city is very quiet. Bar some foreign tourists returning from their trek, the lakeside area, which is always brimming with foreign tourists, wears a deserted look.
Entrepreneurs say the city was getting tourists even during 10-year insurgency. But the earthquake has turned Pokhara into ghost city. As there are no tourists, handicraft outlets, trekking agencies, apparel shops and restaurants, which depend on foreign tourists, have remain closed since the earthquake. Shops, which are open, also close before 8 pm. Earlier, shops and restaurants in lakeside area used to remain open till midnight.
“As there are no guests, restaurants are closing early these days. Restaurateurs close early as there is no point opening late into the night by using generators as there are no guests,” Surya Bahadur Bhujel, past president of Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (REBAN) Pokhara Chapter, told Republica. “There is no point opening restaurants, as people are in no mood of eating out and enjoying.”
Many businessmen hailing from other parts of the country have closed their businesses and returned home to be with their families.
“As the shops are closed, few tourists, who decided to stay back in Pokhara, has also started returning. Even though businessmen say they are compelled to shut shop, it is not good to bring down shutter just because you are not getting any business,” Ramu Gautam, general secretary of Pokhara Tourism Council, said. “We have requested entrepreneurs not to open their shops. If shops are open, movement of people will increase gradually.”
According to hoteliers, Pokhara hotels have occupancy of around 5 percent only. They say they are finding it difficult to meet even the operating cost.
Ganesh Bahadur Bhattarai, coordinator of Pokhara Tourism Recovery Council, (PTRC) said all entrepreneurs should work together to revive the tourism industry. “We need to carry out promotional campaigns and spread the message that Pokhara and its surroundings are safe to bring tourists back to lake city,” he added.
