TIKAPUR, Nov 1: Tikapur Park in Tikapur of Kailali is becoming a destination among domestic tourists. The number of visitors to the park has increased significantly after the Dashain and Tihar festivals.
Officials of the park say that they have seen a rise in the number of groups coming for picnics after the Tihar festival.
The number of visitors is so high that the park authorities have failed to arrange parking space for vehicles. Even the police are facing difficulty in handling vehicular traffic in the area.
Increased visitors footfall has posted the park's revenue as well. “Tickets worth Rs 170,000 were issued on Saturday along. Similarly, we sold tickets worth Rs 275,000 on Thursday and Friday,” Arjun Kunwar, in-charge of the park told Republica.
CNP sees more foreign visitors than domestic visitors
“There are good picnic spots and beautiful garden in the park. Similarly, peaceful environment on the banks of Karnali is one of the reasons why this park has become popular among visitors,”
Madan Bhandari of Kohalpur, Banke, told Republica. “The park has become an important destination for domestic tourists.”
Many people from faraway places are also coming to Tikapur to visit the park. Sarita Budhathoki and her friends reserved a bus to come to Tikapur to visit the park. “There are many beautiful places in our district. We were attracted by the park's well-managed gardens and walkways. It would be even better if the administration enforced strict measure for waste management,” she added.
As the number of visitors grows, waste management is becoming a big problem for the park administration, according to Chhitij Pokhrel who hails from Bardia. “The number of visitors will fall if the issue is not dealt with immediately,” he added.
The park, which is spread over 84 bigha, is getting visitors from Bardia, Surkhet, Dang, Banke and Kanchanpur along with Kathmandu, Chitwan, Kaski, Rupandehi, Palpa and Nawalparasi. Tikapur Municipality has deputed 14 staffers for management of the park.
