KHUMBU, JULY 28
Encouraged by 50 per cent recovery in tourist footfall in the Everest region last fiscal, the local business owners have poured in huge investment in hopes for a bumper tourist season this fall.
After suffering massive losses for two consecutive years due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mingmar Sherpa, owner of Peak 38 View Lodge and Restaurant at Dingboche, is expecting the upcoming tourist season to be better than the last one. "Every hotel was mostly packed in Dingboche the previous season, indicating a good recovery for the tourism sector in the region," he said, adding, "We feel the worst is now behind us."
According to Bishnu Rokaya, information officer and assistant conservation officer of Sagarmatha National Park (SNP), the number of tourists entering the region in the last fiscal year had reached 26,474 - an overwhelming increase compared to the arrival of just 4,819 tourists in fiscal 2019-20 and 8,195 in 2020-21.
This means tourism in the Everest region has recovered by almost 50 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic level, when 53,692 tourists had visited the SNP in the fiscal year 2018-19.
Rokaya also shared that the pace of recovery in tourist flow in SNP despite the looming fears of COVID-19 has made the local stakeholders very confident for the coming tourist season. "The SNP's checkpoint in Monjo has witnessed over a dozen tourists enter the park in a day, even during the off-season. Many hotels have already received bookings for the coming season and we expect the number of tourists to increase compared to the last fiscal year."
With the next tourist season set to kick off in October, many local business owners have poured in huge investment in the upgradation of infrastructure, taken their businesses online, while others have rented lodges hoping for a better season.
The conjunction of the upcoming tourist season in Nepal and the World Cup tournament, set to be held in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, however, has the locals worried about its possible impact on the flow of tourists.
"The World Cup this year is scheduled to kick off in mid-November, which also happens to be the prime season in the Khumbu region and we are not sure how things will turn out, although we are very optimistic and ready to adapt to any situation," Mingmar said.
Pasang Sherpa, a single mother of three, has rented a lodge in Dingboche in hopes of good business this coming season. "I have rented Hotel Umanga for a hefty sum in hopes of making a profit. With the increase in the number of tourists visiting the region last season, the coming season looks promising," she said.
As tourism is the main source of income for the inhabitants of the Khumbu region, Babu Rai, a porter, also has his fingers crossed for the upcoming season. "How well we are able to sustain our families, send our children to schools - all depends on a good tourist season."
"A single tourist provides employment to a number of people and generates income for the people living here," further explained Pasang Sherpa, owner of Tibet Lodge and Restaurant at Jorsalley.
Meanwhile, the local district administration office has mandated single tourists visiting the region to have a guide accompany them after entering Namche Bazaar. Over the last few months, two solo international tourists travelling the Everest region have gone missing.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 29, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
