The daily 10-hour curfew at Tribhuvan International Airport from 8 November that will last five months has affected tourism during Nepal’s peak season, with some hotels and trekking agencies here reporting cancellations into spring next year. The reduced hours at Nepal’s main aviation gateway till 31 March means that a third of all flights have been cut. This has also caused ticket prices to surge by up to eight times of normal fares.
For example a Kathmandu-Delhi ticket that used to cost Rs12,000 is now listed at Rs50,000, and even then seats are not available. “Especially if they are here to trek, change in flight dates can cause tourists to miss their connections,” says Jagan Timilsina, who runs a trail running and outdoor education business. Pokhara is feeling the brunt as hotels report last-minute cancellations for November because of flight disorders.
Some hoteliers also say although there have been some cancelled trips, most itineraries have been rescheduled. Hari Prasad Sharma Gaire of the local chapter of the Hotel Association of Nepal says the Kathmandu airport closure should have been timed for the off-season. He told us: “Starting construction during the peak tourist season was a mistake and will cause the tourism industry to lose a lot of business.
The upgrade could have been spread out over a longer time but closed for fewer hours at night so that disruption was minimal.” Nearly a third of the 1.2 million tourists who visit Nepal annually come to Pok.
