Chintamani Poudel

Chitwan, March 23:

Dwindling tourist traffic in the hotels in Sauraha, the gateway to Royal Chitwan National Park, have started to send their staff on leave for 6 months. Even those hotels which used to be crammed with tourists till May are running dry, though March is yet to end, vice-chairman of the regional hotel association, Hari Bhakta Ghimire, said.

According to Ghimire, leave used to be given only for two months in the past from mid-June to mid-August. But lack of tourists means it is going to be a long haul for the staff. Hotels traditionally give their staff a half-months’ salary to during the leave period. Ghimire said he had given leave to 13 of his 26 staff, asking them to be report by October 18. He added, “If the situation does not improve, I will have to give leave to the remaining staff too.”

The frequent bandhs, strike and floods in July of 2002 and 2003 has badly affected business in hotels at Sauraha. Two-thirds of over five dozen hotels in Sauraha are barely keeping afloat. Others are shut for lack of tourists.

Statistics show the number of tourists visiting Royal Chitwan National Park is declining with every passing year, all due to the escalating conflict in the country and other natural calamities.

A source at the national park said that the figure is down nearly by 30 per cent this year as compared to last year. Around 4,690 overseas visitors visited the national park last year. Likewise, 307 from the SAARC regions and 1,248 inland tourists came to the national park. This year the figure stood at 2,382 only. Overseas visitors in the month of February/March numbered 2,596 while 148 from South Asian countries and 908 internal tourists visited the national park.

Managing director of Hotel Unique in Sauraha, Tuk Raj Khatiwada said the because of the problems created by bandhs and strikes it would be difficult for hotels to revive their business even by October. Vice-chairman Ghimire pointed out, “Hotel entrepreneurs will get succour only if the Mugling-Narayangadh road gets a facelift and improvement is seen on the country’s political front.”