April 7: Although the number of foreign tourists has increased significantly in Thamel, the major tourist hub of Kathmandu, the business has not increased as expected.

Businessmen of Thamel say that despite the highest number of tourists entering Nepal in the month of March after the coronavirus pandemic largely subsided, the business in Thamel was not much significant.

It has been found that more than 80 percent of the tourists who come to Nepal come to Thamel. Punya Ram Lageju, who has been selling trekking goods for the past 22 years at Satghumti in Thamel, says that despite the increase in tourists in the Thamel area, the business has not increased. "Compared to before the coronavirus pandemic, there is only 20 percent of business now," he says.

Before the pandemic, Lageju used to trade goods worth Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 a day. He says that now daily business is between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000. Sharing his business experience of 22 years, Lageju said, "The business is at the lowest point now."

Similarly, Sitaram Regmi, who has been trading clothes in Thamel for a long time, says that the business has declined now compared to the past. He says that although there are a lot of tourists in the streets of Thamel, the business is low. "Sometimes there is no sale at all," says Regmi.

He says that the business has decreased due to the lack of tourists who spend a lot of money.

Meena Kumari Bastola, the owner of Nepal Handicraft Collection, who has been doing the handicraft business in Thamel for the past 14 years, says that business has decreased drastically in recent times.

"The business is not like before, earlier tourists used to look at the goods coming to the shop. If they liked, they used to buy and take them away. But now, tourists do not enter the shop," says Bastola.

She has been selling and distributing woolen, pashmina, felt and other items. Due to the lack of business in Thamel, businessmen say that they are also facing problems in paying rent to their landlords.

While the businessmen of Thamel area are complaining about the lack of business, hoteliers say that the number of tourists has increased in hotels in Thamel. Bimal Dhamala, who runs the Kathmandu Eco Hotel in Thamel, says that the number of tourists in Thamel has increased recently.

"In the hotel I run, 70 to 80 rooms are filled every day, which is relatively good," he says. Dhamala, who is also the vice-chairman of the Thamel Tourism Development Council, says that the business of the Thamel area has declined because tourists come to stay for a short time. He said that tourists come and stay for one or two nights.

Mahesh Phuyal, general manager of the four-star hotel 'Ramada' in Thamel, says that the rooms of his hotel are now filled up to 90 percent every day. He says that the number of tourists in the hotel has increased due to the fact that it is now the peak season of tourism.

With the increase in the number of tourists in Nepal, excitement has also increased in the aviation sector. Lately, there has been an increase in number of tourists visiting the Everest Base Camp in Solukhumbu as well as Mustang, Dolpa, Humla and other areas by air.

 According to Sudarshan Bartaula, spokesman of Yeti Airlines and head of air security, the number of tourists traveling through Tara Air, a sister organization of Yeti Airlines, has increased.

"The number of tourists traveling for mountain flights of Tara Airlines and Yeti Airlines has increased," he said.

Lately, Tara Airlines has been flying up to 50 flights daily to various destinations. The airline operates 32 daily flights from Ramechhap's Manthali Airport to Solukhumbu's Tenzing Hillary Airport in Lukla. Similarly, the same airline has 10 flights from Pokhara to Mustang.

March, April, and May are considered as the tourist season in Nepal. According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 99,426 tourists entered Nepal in the month of March alone. In the month of March, 33,454 tourists from SAARC countries, 15,643 from other Asian countries, 23,265 from Europe and 3,958 from other countries arrived in Nepal.

Similarly, 1,707 tourists from Canada, 9,557 tourists from America and 10,375 from the Middle East and other countries have entered Nepal. Maniraj Lamichhane, Director and Information Officer of the Nepal Tourism Board, says that most of the tourists coming in the month of March are from India. According to him, 25,911 tourists from India arrived in Nepal in the month of March alone. In the month of March last year, 15,013 tourists came from India.