Nepal floods hit tourism as peak travel season begins
Nepal’s tourism industry is facing a difficult peak season after deadly floods triggered widespread cancellations and disrupted travel across the country.
The floods last month killed more than 1,450 people and damaged key highways, according to Al Jazeera. The disaster was triggered by a glacial mountain collapse along the Nepal-Tibet border.
Although some major tourist destinations were not directly affected, businesses in several areas say visitor numbers have fallen sharply.
Tourists cancel Nepal trips
Nepal’s main tourist season begins after the monsoon ends in August. September to November is particularly important for hotels, guides, drivers and trekking companies.
Tourism accounts for nearly 8% of Nepal’s gross domestic product and supports more than one million jobs, Al Jazeera reported.
More than 1.15 million tourists visited Nepal last year. Nearly one-third arrived during the September-November period.
However, tourism workers say this year’s floods have discouraged visitors from travelling even to unaffected areas.
Pushpraj Rimal, a tour planner and taxi driver in Kathmandu, told Al Jazeera that most of his foreign customers had cancelled their plans.
He said his business was running at about one-quarter of its normal seasonal level.
“It is still a lockdown kind of situation,” Rimal told Al Jazeera.
Small businesses feel the impact
The downturn is also affecting businesses that depend indirectly on tourism.
Seeta Nepali and her husband sell homemade buttermilk along a highway connecting Kathmandu with the tourist destinations of Pokhara and Chitwan.
She told Al Jazeera that their income fell sharply after the floods.
The road was initially blocked for 11 days. Even after reopening, traffic remained limited before tourists gradually began returning.
Nepali said the couple was now earning about one-quarter of what they would normally make.
Flood damage changes travel plans
Some international travellers told Al Jazeera they cancelled their trips because of damaged roads, safety concerns and travel advisories.
Others changed their itineraries rather than abandoning their visits entirely.
Pokhara, a major base for Himalayan trekking, was among the destinations affected by cancellations.
Businesses in Chitwan have also reported significant losses despite the area not suffering the same level of flood damage.
Pramila Chhetri, who works at a resort in Chitwan, told Al Jazeera that 80% of the resort’s reservations were cancelled within hours of the floods.
The main highway leading to Chitwan was damaged and remained closed for nearly two weeks.
Nepal says many destinations remain open
Nepal’s tourism businesses are trying to reassure international travellers that large parts of the country remain accessible.
Surendra Thapa, charge d’affaires at the Indian embassy, told Al Jazeera that Nepal remained “open and safe”, although some areas should be avoided.
However, foreign governments have also issued warnings following the disaster.
According to Al Jazeera, the United Kingdom warned on September 11 that flooding had left many areas unstable and could make safe travel difficult.
The United States also identified areas considered unsafe for travel.
Tourism businesses hope for recovery
The full economic impact of the decline in visitor numbers has yet to be determined.
For businesses dependent on the September and October tourist season, however, the effects are already being felt.
Some travellers have postponed rather than cancelled their trips, raising hopes that tourism could begin recovering later in the season.
For small businesses, guides and drivers, the pace of that recovery could determine how much of this year’s crucial tourism season can still be saved.