The government officials said that it would be difficult to manage tourists due to pandemic of COVID – 19 has been showing no sign of decline anytime soon, and Nepal is likely to remain shut for foreign tourists’ influx until the end of this year. With the fare and festival seasons of Nepal, a large number of Nepalese people including the migrant workers expected to return home. But as the country is refreshing for a major festival season, there is a high chance of people’s movement, not just within the country but also internationally.
Officials of the Tourism Ministry say given the festive season, which will mean Nepalese in crowd will be arriving, it will be difficult to manage foreign tourists in light of the rising number of Covid-19 cases. We expect Nepalese, including migrant workers, to return home soon, said an official at the ministry, who did not wish to be named. The situation is that the country is experiencing rapid spread of the virus.
After five months, Nepal opened its skies for international flights starting on Tuesday, allowing limited regular passenger and chartered flights. Only Nepalese, and diplomats and employees of development partners are allowed to fly into Nepal for now. The government’s move to continue with restrictions on foreign holidaymakers even after resuming international flights has renewed worries of travel trade entrepreneurs.
In a statement on Sunday, the Nepal Association Tour Operators called on the government to quickly come up with a plan to save the 1.05 million jobs which are in danger of being lost, some permanently, in the tourism industry. The association said that tourism related businesses have been operating on a negative cash flow since late March and this is not a situation that can be sustained for long. Most indicators are that tourism’s road to recovery will be long and drawn out with traveler numbers reaching 2019 levels only in 2024, said the association. Travel industry sector companies cannot be expected to sustain themselves for such a long time without active support from the government.
During Covid-19 crisis management center meetings, the foreign affairs ministry reiterates that it cannot afford to issue on-arrival visas for foreigners at this time of crisis. Health ministry officials also support this view saying that it’s not an appropriate time to host tourists. A tourism ministry official said on condition of anonymity because no one is allowed to speak to the media.
At a time when the pandemic has upraised daily life across the globe, travel and tourism industries worldwide are struggling, and the situation is no different in Nepal, say industry insiders. However, they have been calling on the government to at least come up with some work plan for the road to recovery. Most of the countries are clear regarding the timetable to open up for tourists, and that assures the travel trade industry to be well prepared, said president of Nepal Association Tour Operators, the umbrella organization representing tour operators. But in our case, decisions have been made without enough thought.
