LOGIN DASHBOARD

    COVID19

    News

    3 MIN READ

    Empty hotels, empty trails

    Record Nepal, May 8, 2020, Kathmandu

    Empty hotels, empty trails

      Share this article

    The disruption in the tourism industry has hit hardest those working irregularly, like porters and guides.

    (The Record)

    Back in February, Lhakpa Tshiring Sherpa, a hotelier in Lukla, had every reason to believe that spring 2020 would be one of the best seasons for Everest. The Visit Nepal 2020 campaign was gradually gaining momentum. Government officials were confident about attracting more than 2 million tourists. News headlines filled with speculation of yet another traffic jam on Everest during the spring summit.   

    So Lhakpa Tshiring made sure to stockpile all essential items in advance: food, beverages, and daily essentials the hotel would need for the entire spring season. “Considering the remoteness of the region, we usually ferry goods well in advance, as transportation becomes harder and costlier as tourist numbers rise. This time we made provisions a little earlier than usual in anticipation of the big season,” says Lhakpa Tshiring, who runs the Hiker’s Inn, one of the biggest hotels in Lukla.

    The excitement has now given way to frustration as Lhakpa Tshiring can’t find a way to make use of the ferried goods with the cancellation of climbing and trekking permits due to the Covid19 pandemic. Moreover, it’s still uncertain if there will be any tourists next season, in autumn, as countries around the world take extreme social distancing and lockdown measures to contain the global pandemic, which has already taken more than 270,000 lives. The tourism sector is likely to remain affected until Covid19 vaccines become easily available around the world.  

    “I invested a lot of money in the hopes of yielding good returns. Now, there is little I can do with the goods. I could have prevented some loss had the government warned us in time,” says Lhakpa Tshiring, adding that the government should have cancelled climbing and expedition permits much earlier.

    Every hotelier in the Everest region is bearing the brunt of the lockdown while guides and porters have been rendered jobless, says Ang Phurba Sherpa, ward chairman of Lukla-2.  He says that Lukla is staring at one of the worst years, much worse than earthquake-ravaged 2015, with uncertainty over the future of the tourism industry. 

    "The good thing is no Covid19 cases have been found in Lukla. But the downturn in the tourism business is affecting everyone from big hotel owners to guides and porters,” adds Ang Phurba. 

    The disruption in the tourism industry has hit hardest those working irregularly, like porters and guides. Nepal’s tourism sector provides employment opportunities to around 1 million people, according to a report by the World Travel and Tourism Council.  

    Renowned climbers like Kami Rita Sherpa had urged the government to deploy sherpas in cleaning climbing trails and exhuming dead bodies of climbers. But the government, fearful of a possible Covid19 spread, refused to do so, citing a lack of budget.

    Stakeholders in the tourism industry are increasingly unhappy with the government for not coming up with any relief package oriented towards their needs. Many hotels, trekking, and expedition agencies have shut down while others are following suit. On 4 May, the Hotel Association of Nepal announced they would shut down hotels and pay only around 12 percent of basic wages to their staff. The Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN), an umbrella association of travel and trekking agencies, is also considering similar measures if the government does not come forward with assistance. 

    “Most agencies are not in a position to pay their staff or sustain themselves. The government should bring programmes to help those who have been rendered jobless and save agencies that are facing displacement,” says TAAN president Khum Bahadur Subedi.  

    The Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation has held several rounds of discussions with stakeholders but failed to lay out a clear plan to tackle the crisis.

    Dandu Raj Ghimire, chief of the Department of Tourism, says that the department has been hashing out plans for people facing unemployment in the tourism industry. He says that porters and guides will be employed in the opening of new trekking routes and trails in the immediate future.

    “We have already proposed some programmes to employ jobless guides and porters. More programmes will be introduced depending on need,” says Ghimire. 

    ::::::::



    author bio photo

    Record Nepal  We are an independent digital publication based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Our stories examine politics, the economy, society, and culture. We look into events both current and past, offering depth, analysis, and perspective. Explore our features, explainers, long reads, multimedia stories, and podcasts. There’s something here for everyone.

            



    Comments

    Get the best of

    the Record

    Previous Next

    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    Perspectives

    5 min read

    Checking power and balancing the law

    Avasna Pandey - July 19, 2021

    By acting consistently in favor of democracy and the rule of law, Nepal’s Supreme Court has fulfilled its function of defining the limits of acceptable political action and the consequences of legal subterfuge.

    Features

    6 min read

    Death and devastation with the arrival of the monsoon

    Marissa Taylor - June 18, 2021

    Here’s what you need to know about the floods and landslides wreaking havoc in districts across the country.

    Features

    13 min read

    Further crippling the yarsagumba economy could worsen hunger in Nepal’s mountain regions

    David Ellis Johnson - June 14, 2020

    The ban on this year’s harvest due to Covid-19 threatens livelihoods and risks furthering the nation’s food insecurity

    Interviews

    12 min read

    From politics to poetry: Kedar Man Vyathit

    Uttam Kunwar - May 5, 2020

    Vyathit was a prolific poet who wrote in Nepali, Newari and Hindi languages

    COVID19

    3 min read

    Covid19 Roundup, 26 April: Lockdown extended till 7 May as cases reach 52

    The Record - April 26, 2020

    A daily summary of all Covid19 related developments that matter

    COVID19

    3 min read

    Fact-checked: WHO hasn’t revised coronavirus risk level for Nepal

    Injina Panthi - April 28, 2020

    A dozen media outlets in Nepal have published news claiming that the World Health Organization (WHO) has removed Nepal from the list of countries at high risk of COVID-19.

    Photo Essays

    4 min read

    Losing hope in Jeddah

    Nitu Ghale - January 13, 2021

    When the pandemic forced countries to go into lockdown, closing international borders, Nepali migrant workers in Saudi Arabia were forced into dire living conditions. This was their plea.

    Features

    10 min read

    How one journalist’s dogged reporting got a man released from prison

    Sajeet M. Rajbhandari - February 7, 2022

    Tufan Neupane’s reportage on Uma Shankar Rayabhar’s false imprisonment points out key flaws in our judicial system and highlights the necessity for good journalism

    • About
    • Contributors
    • Jobs
    • Contact

    CONNECT WITH US

    © Copyright the Record | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy