Tourism in Pokhara gaining momentum

Kathmandu: Businesses have started getting momentum in Pokhara. Businessmen are becoming happy as the passive tourism business, hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, is getting active.

The increase in international events in Pokhara has been taking tourism on track. Businessmen believe tourism boosts if regular international flight operation resumes from Pokhara. They said that the promotion must be prioritized to strengthen the economic condition.

Pokhara Tourism Council’s Chairperson Pom Narayan Shrestha said that business owners were happy as the tourism business was back on track. He said that even the businessmen visited various nations for promoting tourism.

He said that the ‘Dragon Boar Festival’ and ‘International Yoga Day’ had attracted Chinese and Indian tourism to Pokhara, through whom tourists’ number can be further increased. The regular functioning of the International Airport in Pokhara can be a plus point for increasing and boosting tourism in Pokhara, according to Shrestha.

Shrestha said, ‘It is a relief that tourism has gain in momentum. The regular flights from Pokhara would have been a plus point. We need to promote the tourism of Pokhara as more as we can.’

Likewise, the Hotel Association of Nepal, Pokhara’s Chairperson Laxman Subedi said that the businessmen have become optimistic with the increase in the number of tourists. He said the number of employment opportunities would increase and the possibility of establishing a training center in Pokhara for people going on foreign employment.

He said that the number of skilled manpower in Pokhara has been decreasing. Subedi said that the smooth functioning of the International flights in Pokhara would not decrease the number of tourists.

Likewise, Village Tourism Promotion Forum Gandaki Province’s Chairperson Uday Subedi said that international events were surprising but national events were still not being organized. He added the number of foreign tourists was still less after COVID-19.

He said, ‘Such events uplift tourism but it moves down if the event is absent. Tourism has not recovered more than 40 percent. The number of foreign tourists is still low. But the internal tourists have increased. It still needs time for tourism to return to the previous state.’