Hard to sustain hotels without foreign tourists

• Rishi Ram Baral

Kathmandu: Although domestic tourists visit hotels around Begnas Lake in Lekhnath on holidays, businessmen are worried because foreign tourists are not coming.

Businessmen here claim that there are no foreign tourists even though there are some domestic tourists, but there are difficulties in operating the hotel in a sustainable manner.

The fear of corona among foreign tourists has not yet disappeared. The demand of the businessmen is that the government should bring forward its programs as soon as possible to bring the tourism business into full operation which is stalled due to fear of Covid-19.

Durga Prasad Adhikari, the owner of the Grand Hotel in Begnas Lake, said, “The government must take some initiative to bring in foreign tourists to Nepal. Even though some Nepali tourists come on holidays, they are not enough to fully occupy the hotel and sustain it.”

Tourists have started coming to Begnas on government holidays, one or two employees and even myself have been serving the guests and but there is no situation to pay the bank interest, said Adhikari.

“Around 200 hotels and restaurants are operating at Lekhnath, but only 150 are affiliated to the association, ranging from resorts to small hotels, said Lamsal.

He also said, “It has been three years that we have not seen fair-skinned tourists, though domestic tourists come sometimes.”

Nitesh Lalchan, the owner of New Thakali Kitchen in Begnas, said, “Some domestic tourists come to Begnas to have lunch on holidays, but it is not enough to sustain the business.”