CHITWAN, Jan 5: This year Sauraha saw a significant decrease in tourist arrivals during the New Year. While notices of vacant rooms were visible at hotel gates in the morning, by noon most hotels were full. By the evening those searching for rooms had to return empty-handed. In any case, this year the situation was different, with fewer tourists than usual, despite some arriving in the area.
Suman Ghimire, former president of the Regional Hotel Association, noted that it was the lowest tourist turnout on New Year’s Day since he entered the tourism business 14 years ago. More than 80 percent of hotel rooms remained unfilled. Ghimire attributed this decline to issues such as road closures and poor conditions, particularly affecting tourists traveling from Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Butwal. The economic slowdown and lack of new events also contributed to the decline in visitors.
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Although the elephant festival took place recently, no major events were held on New Year’s Day. While domestic tourists returned from sightseeing, fewer stayed in hotels. Santosh Giri, general manager of Hotel Jungle Crown, mentioned that family outings have decreased due to children’s exams. He observed that many hotels reported fewer guests compared to previous years.
The primary attraction in Sauraha is the jungle safari, but Dipendra Khatiwada, chairman of the United Elephant Operators Cooperative, mentioned a decrease in tourists even for safaris. In previous years, elephants made up to five trips with tourists. However, this year they barely made three.
Regional Hotel Association General Secretary Gunaraj Thapaliya also cited road issues, the economic recession, and exams as key factors behind the reduced number of tourists. He noted that most tourists were Nepalis, with a few from India and other countries.
Sauraha has 160 hotels with a capacity of 6,500 tourists, but this year only around 80 percent of these hotels were occupied. Thapaliya said that typically, hotels would have been fully booked by afternoon but that was not the case this year. Tourists typically visit jeep, boat, and elephant safaris in Chitwan National Park and nearby forests.
