January 23: The number of tourists visiting the Everest region has declined this winter.

Phudoma Sherpa from Khumjung village of Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipality-4 in the district is feeling desolate this winter.     

Although the arrival of tourists was normal in the previous years, it is bleak this time, she says.

"Last year, tourist influx was normal, but less number of visitors is worrying us this winter," she shared.    
The Sagarmatha National Park Office at Namche also confirmed 30 percent fall in arrival of tourists in the Sagarmatha region this winter. Last year, a total of 1,920 tourists had visited the Khumbu area while only 1,329 tourists turned up this year, according to information officer at the Sagarmatha National Park Office, Manoj Kumar Mandal.    
Among the total visitors, 455 were domestic tourists while 1,465 were foreigners last year. A total of 120 Nepalis and 1,209 foreigners visited the Khumbu region so far this year.    
Lately, the Khumbu region has turned deserted due to the increasing cold. The National Park Office informed that the dip in mercury level is the reason behind it.    

The Everest region, which is home to the world’s highest peak, bustles with tourists only for six months in a year. The peak season for tourists to visit this region of natural beauty is September, October and November.

In the peak season, as many as 1,000 tourists visit the Khumbu region a day, while there are hardly five to seven tourists now, information officer Mandal added.    
Ward-4 Chairman Laxman Adhikari said the tourism entrepreneurs are out of business at present. Even the locals have left villages to avoid cold. During the off-season, the locals shift to lowlands to avoid excessive cold.

Chief of Area Administration Office, Namche, Sujan Kumari Bardewa, said the places such as Lukla, Namche, and Khumjung now wear a deserted look with limited number of people. Many people go to lower elevation areas to escape unforgiving cold.    
Public offices also record negligible number of service seekers, Bardewa added.    
Tilak BK, a teacher at Khumjung Secondary School, says, "As the winter begins, the people here leave for warm places including Kathmandu and some even make pilgrimage to Bodhgaya, India." Most of the people of Khumbu stay in Kathmandu during the winter.   – RSS