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After the plane crash of Yeti Airlines in Pokhara causing a large number of human casualties in domestic flights, the impact has also been felt in the tourism sector. 72 people including 15 foreign guests died in the plane crash. After the incident, the arrival of foreign guests to Pokhara was affected and the accident also affected the arrival of domestic guests, the businessmen said.
According to businessmen, it is the time of officialization in the tourism sector. Apart from the off-season, the tourism sector has not returned to its pre-corona state after the corona virus infection. Businessmen have said that after the air crash, the arrival of guests has further declined while the tourist arrivals are decreasing due to the off-season and the Corona effect. Apart from the arrival of foreign guests, the arrival of domestic guests has also been affected. Businessmen have said that some seminars and meeting programs have also been cancelled.
This is not the time for foreign guests to come. However, it is the season with less visitors. Apart from that, even after the corona virus infection, tourism could not return to its previous state. However, after the air crash, there has been a sudden drop in guest arrivals,’ said the manager of a trendy hotel in Lakeside, ‘more than 25 percent occupancy. The guests are afraid to come. Foreigners have also canceled air travel. Seminars and meetings have been canceled for now.’ The manager said that the conference meetings of non-governmental organizations were more affected at this time.
Many people chose air as the land route was also difficult at this time. However, bad news has spread after the air crash. Air passenger travel has been halted due to rumors about air flights. He said that it also affected the tourism sector. Now the Pokhara-Muglin highway is expanding rapidly. As highways are widened, travel time is lengthened. Apart from that, he said that after the accident, the weather in Pokhara was also affected.
Fistel Lodge General Manager Roshan Khawas also said that the air crash has affected the tourism sector for the time being. According to him, the occupancy ratio of hotels in Pokhara was around 25 percent as it was off-season. On top of that, the impact of the air crash that killed the tourism sector was further increased, he said. After the accident, the booking has been canceled for the time being. However, not everyone takes the accident the same way. Some took the accident as a fateful event and continued the tour according to their plans,’ he said, ‘some had canceled immediately. However, it does not mean that there was no effect.’
As land travel became more difficult, domestic passengers also started to choose air route recently. With the addition of domestic passengers, the tourism sector got some relief even in the post-coronavirus situation. However, now the arrival of domestic guests is also affected, businessmen said. ‘This incident has shocked the entire country. Guests from different countries have been involved in this incident. As a result, it is certain that there will be an impact on the tourism sector,’ said Khawas, ‘This impact on tourism will remain for a few more months. Air travel is in question for the time being. It will take some time to improve.’
Omprakash Pandey, director of another landmark hotel, also said that the arrival of guests was affected after the accident. According to him, there are only a small number of guests in the hotel. Indian guests who want to come are preparing to come by land after canceling air travel. ‘There are a lot of rumors about air travel. Rumors are spreading that air travel in Nepal is unsafe. Because of that, the trip has been cancelled,’ he said, ‘the arrival of guests has been affected. Domestic guests are not present at this time. The tourism sector has become like a desert.’
According to businessmen, various rumors spread after the plane crash in Pokhara. Moreover, the international media reported the accident in different ways. Because of this, even the guests who wanted to come were panicked, the businessman said.
Some have taken the accident as normal. However, many people believe that after this accident, the negative talk spread more, which has badly affected the tourism sector, he said. According to him, not only are there no guests in the hotel, but there are also no passengers in the air travel. He said that the airplane was flying with half of the passengers.
Naresh Bhattarai, director of Mount Kailash Resort, who is also the president of Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (Reban) Pokhara, also says that a negative message has been sent to the tourism sector after the plane crash. According to him, the guests are also reluctant to travel by air. The guests staying at the hotel were scheduled to return by plane. However, after the accident, he canceled the air travel and reserved a vehicle and returned,” he said, “this does not always happen. After some time, the incident will be resolved. However, for the time being, the accident has had a negative impact.’
According to him, there are few guests in Pokhara at this time. The impact of corona infection is still in the tourism sector. Because of that, there were not as many guests as before. He said that such incidents had an even greater impact on that. ‘The message of the accident has spread to affect Nepal’s airspace itself. Due to this, air travel has been affected for the time being,’ said Bhattarai, ‘The reality of the incident should be brought out as soon as possible and the negative message should be destroyed.’
