KAVREPALANCHOWK, APRIL 22
The hotel and tourism sector in Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchowk, that was in the process of recovery in the aftermath of COVID-19 crisis has been affected again following the onset of a second wave of the infection.
As a result, many hotel bookings in the town have been cancelled.
Cancellation of hotel booking took place from the third week of April, said the Regional Hotel Association of Nepal, Kavrepalanchowk chapter.
"More than a dozen bookings have been cancelled at my resort.
Cancellations are continuing," said Premkantha Makaju Shrestha, president of HAN, Kavrepalanchowk.
At present, his resort receives only around 50 customers on a daily basis against around 200 customers before the second week of April. There are around 60 big and small scale hotels in Dhulikhel being operated with a total investment of approximately Rs 50 billion.
Over 3,000 people have been employed at the hotels, said HAN, Kavrepalanchowk.
Prahlad Pyakurel, who runs a hotel in Dhulikhel, has complained of decreasing number of customers.
Nowadays, his 50-bed hotel receives only 25 customers daily.
"There has been a shortfall of hotel bookings for the past two weeks. Bookings have been cancelled," he said.
Hotel entrepreneurs had announced three special packages in the town to attract customers in a bid to bring infection-marred tourism on track, but the infection has affected it.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 23, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
