Kathmandu: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has said that the recent Gen Z protests have dampened the morale of Nepal’s tourism industry.
Deepak Raj Joshi, the Board’s Chief Executive Officer, stated that incidents of vandalism, arson, and looting during the protests have negatively impacted tourism.
Speaking at a programme in Kathmandu on the occasion of World Tourism Day, Joshi revealed that tourist arrivals fell by 45 percent compared to the same period last year. He said that in the first week of Ashoj (mid-September) last year, daily tourist arrivals averaged around 3,300–3,400, but this year, due to the protests, the number dropped to around 1,600. However, he added that since no further major incidents had occurred, the Board expects the situation to improve.
“The incidents of arson during the protests of September 8 and 9 directly caused a decline in tourist arrivals. It came just as the season was starting, which dented our morale a little. On average, around 3,300–3,400 tourists used to arrive daily in September. At the beginning of this month too, arrivals were above 3,000 per day. But the week following the protests, it fell to 1,600 — about a 45 percent drop. In the next week, the numbers improved to 2,300, and in the latest week, it reached 2,900,” Joshi said. He expressed optimism that the recovery would continue as the situation has now stabilized.
The Tourism Board also claimed that it has strengthened systems to provide accurate information to visitors, which it believes will help sustain Nepal’s tourism growth in the long run. CEO Joshi added that improved information management is being used to attract tourists in a more consistent and sustainable manner.
Comment Here