Tourism entrepreneurs request govt to reopen trekking routes

Kathmandu / Sept 19: Trekking is one of the major tourist activities in Nepal. The trekking routes inside the country are recognized worldwide and have played a major role in improving the country’s tourism sector.

The trekking routes of Khumbu, Annapurna, Manasalu, Manang and Mustang have seen a rise in international as well as domestic tourists. The risk of COVID-19, too, has been decreasing in Nepal. Although the pandemic has brought the tourist flow into the country to a halt, voices are being raised demanding the reopening of trekking routes as soon as possible.

Requests for easy travel regulations for tourists are being made as most of them have already been vaccinated against COVID-19 and have their PCR reports with them.

Khum Bahadur Subedi, chairman of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN), has said that the progress of the tourism sector can be accelerated by issuing on-arrival visas to international tourists and removing the policy for tourists quarantining themselves after arriving in the country.

The growth of the country’s tourism sector has remained stationary following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to tourism entrepreneurs, inquiries from tourists have increased following the decrease of COVID-19 cases inside the country. They claim that the revival of the tourism sector will not be easy if the government doesn’t take action on the topic of visa and quarantine.

Prior to the pandemic, Nepal had made plans to celebrate 2020 as a Visit Nepal Year. Nepal had expected the arrival of as many as two million tourists in 2020. However, due to the present situation where COVID-19 cases are found to be decreasing and vaccination drives are accelerated, tourism entrepreneurs have urged the government for an easy environment.