March 9: Inflow of tourist has started to increase in various places of Nepal, including Thamel, the main tourist hub in the federal capital Kathmandu. Tourism activities have gradually started to increase after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic largely subsided. Now, foreign tourists are gradually starting to appear in the Thamel area of Kathmandu. With the arrival of tourists on the streets of Thamel, tourism entrepreneurs are now hopeful of revival of their business, which was affected for a long time.

Nilhari Bastola, president of Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), says that the increasing activities of tourists has given some hope to the tourism industry. He said, “The tourism sector of Nepal, which has been suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic for a long time, is happy with the arrival of tourists.”

President of Thamel Tourism Development Council Bhaviswar Sharma also confirmed that foreign tourists have gradually started to be seen in the inner streets of Thamel.

In Thamel, 80 percent of business involves foreign tourists and 20 percent domestic tourists. There are more than a thousand hotels in the Thamel area.

Gopal Pangeni, the owner of Ramada Encore, a four-star hotel in Thamel, says that the number of tourists booking at his hotel increased with the start of the tourism season. The months of March, April and May are considered the prime tourist season in Nepal. In the 92-room Ramada Hotel in Kathmandu-16 Thamel, 70 percent of the rooms are booked for March and 90 percent for April and May.

Mahesh Phuyal, general manager of the same hotel, says that the tourist activities in Thamel is gradually increasing. He said, “The number of domestic and foreign guests coming to the hotel has increased compared to a month ago.” He expects that the tourism sector of Nepal will gradually gain momentum.

The night entertainment guests as well have started getting crowded in Thamel where Fridays and Saturdays are busier than other days. From business meetingd, family gatherings to night life of young generation, clubs in Thamel have started to return to the professional path.

Dharmaraj Paneru, the owner of The Short Station Restaurant and Bar, who is running a night business in Thamel, says that the number of foreign guests who come to Thamel for entertainment at night has increased. He said, “For the last 15 days, the night business is gradually getting better, this has made us happy.” More than 6000 people are doing business in Thamel area.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 73,255 tourists came to Nepal by air in February 2023 and 55,074 in January. In February 2022, tourist arrival was 19,766 and 9,146 in the same month of 2021. Maniraj Lamichhane, director of Nepal Tourism Board says that the arrival of foreign tourists in recent days is encouraging. In February, 18,401 tourists came from India 7,887 from America, 4,802 from Thailand, 3,246 from South Korea, 2,969 from Australia, 2,266 from China, 2,232 from Myanmar, 2,117 from Sri Lanka and 2,108 from Germany.