The countrywide bandh called by the CPN (Maoist) from February 5 to 11 is going to hit the tourism sector hard. The tourism industry people have claimed that the weeklong strike could cost approximately Rs 30 million loss in revenue each day. That is a huge sum for a developing country like Nepal, where the tourism industry forms the backbone of the country’s economy, as it is one of the biggest earners of foreign currency for the treasury. The Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) has appealed to the agitating political parties to pay serious attention to the safety and security of the tourists travelling around the country. NATO is also seeking assurances from the parties that the tourists or the tourist vehicles would not be harmed during any protest programmes. Such a guarantee is viewed extremely crucial, according to the tour operators, as any unpleasant incident involving foreigners is most likely to adversely affect the ailing tourism sector.

The restaurant and hotel businesses registered a negative growth rate of 2.75 per cent in the fiscal year 2004-05 compared to the whopping growth rate of 8.02 per cent in the previous fiscal year. Its direct contribution to GDP has dropped to three per cent from four per cent till some years back. The tourism sector of the country, thanks to the negative impact of the ten-year insurgency, needs protection and promotion from all sections of the society.

The political forces of the country should provide strong “back-up” to the tourism industry. It would be prudent to allow unrestricted tourist movement during the bandh days so that the visitors do not feel threatened or harassed. Since the country is passing through a tumultuous time and tourism can provide some support to the economic growth, political fights should not be allowed to affect tourism. But anyway programmes like bandhs and the general security situation will have a huge impact on the arrivals of tourists.