July 31: Hotel entrepreneurs of Sauraha are elated with the rising inflow of tourists in the district despite increasing risks in the travel during the rainy season.    
July and August are considered off-season in terms of the inflow of tourists. Due to shrinking business in the rainy season, the hotel staff were also encouraged to stay on leave in previous years.    
However, the increasing flow of domestic and foreign tourists in the off-season this time has elated the tourism entrepreneurs.    
According to the Chairperson of the Regional Hotel Association, Chitwan, Ganga Giri, 1000 to 1200 tourists are arriving in Sauraha on an average day in this season. Half of them are foreigners with dominant number of Chinese tourists.    
There are 125 hotels in Sauraha having capacity to accommodate 6,200 people.    
The increasing number of tourists in the off-season has excited tourism entrepreneurs here, he said.    
Over 100 tourists are enjoying elephant ride in Sauraha on a daily basis, informed chairperson of United Elephant Operators' Cooperative organization, Rishi Tiwari. Mostly the Chinese tourists are enjoying elephant ride, he shared.    
The number of tourists in Sauraha is higher than it was in the previous years. Former chairperson of Regional Hotel Association, Suman Ghimire said the arrival of tourists is satisfactory despite bad condition of roads.    
It has made entrepreneurs hopeful for the rebound of tourism industry in Nepal, Ghimire said. -- RSS