CHITWAN, JULY 26 The government has lifted the lockdown imposed to check the spread of coronavirus. Public vehicles, industries and the market are back in operation. Likewise, the tourism sector is also gearing up to reopen for visitors beginning July 30, as decided by the government. Accordingly, hotel entrepreneurs in Sauraha, one of the most popular tourist destinations of the country, are preparing to resume services after almost four months. There are 110 hotels in operation in Sauraha. As part of preparation and promotion, a group of youths began a cycle rally yesterday to lure domestic tourists to Sauraha. The rally that began from Sauraha reached Kasara before returning to the starting point. A total of 17 cyclists took part in the rally. “Domestic tourists are inevitable to revive the tourism sector badly hit by the lockdown,” President of the Regional Hotel Association in Sauraha Dipak Bhattarai said. We want to spread the message that Sauraha is now open and all necessary health protocol and standards have been adopted. The cycle rally is also an effort to build an atmosphere for cycle enthusiasts to visit all the tourist sites in Sauraha on a cycle, said chair of Baghmara buffer community forest, Jit Bahadur Tamang. Former president of Regional Hotel Association Suman Ghimire said domestic tourism was being promoted through cycling, in consideration of the increasing number of cyclists of late. A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 27, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.