Polls take their toll on hotels, restaurants

Bhaktapur, April 5:

Hotels and restaurants in Nagarkot, a popular holiday destination on the outskirts of the Kathmandu valley, have witnessed a sharp decline in the number of Nepali customers. Reason: Many people living in the valley have left for their home districts to cast votes in the historic constituent assembly polls.

Despite the slump, the people associated with these restaurants and hotels, which cater to the middle class, are quite upbeat. They believe that the slump will be a thing of the past once the polling is over.

The flow of foreigners has remained steady, but the flow of domestic tourists has gone down by 75 per cent, says Bir Bahadur Lama, a restaurateur.

Foreigners as well as domestic tourists, especially from Kathmandu, Bhaktpur and Lalitpur districts, frequent Nagarkot at the weekend. Hoteliers, restaurateurs, travel and trekking guides take the summer as the boom time. “Nagarkot has seen a drastic decline in the number of domestic tourists in the last few weeks,” Lama says.

According to Lama, “Every day, around 50 tourists used to check in my restaurant. Due to the upcoming polls, hardly 50 tourists stayed in my restaurant this week.”

“I think the polls have taken their toll our business. But we are happy that the historic polls are taking place. We hope that the polls will bring about lasting peace and stability in the country.”

Says Pawan Gurung, a restaurant helper, “We now have time to chat with friends and stay outside the restaurant because the flow of tourists has gone down.”

“May be due to the polls, the number of customers has gone down even if the new year 2065 is round the bend. Otherwise, we would be busy serving customers.”

Krishna Gopal Duwal, a shopkeeper from Nagarkot-7, agrees that the flow of domestic tourists in the picturesque hill station has gone down due to the polls.

“The streets used to be full of Nepali tourists,” says Duwal. “City dwellers might have gone home. I guess some people are into political campaigning and listening to parties. But the flow of foreigners has not gone down.”