Chitwan, September 8 : Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, over Rs 30 billion investment made in the hospitality sector in the Chitwan district is at stake. All types of hotels and restaurents here have remained closed for almost six months now due to the prohibitory order imposed to stem the pandemic.
Before the onset of the pandemic, the tourist hotels in the district together used to make the transactions of Rs 10.5 million every day in the peak season. Other types of hotels also used to witnesss the transactions of similar amount on a daily basis.
Similarly, everyday income of the hotel entrepreneurs from additional touristic activities, including jeep safari, boat safari and elephant safari, used to around around Rs 3 million in total in the peak season.
A study shows that there are a total of 1,250 hotels and restaurents in the district in which 16,000 workers are engaged.
Chairperson of Regional Hotel association in Sauraha Chapter, Deepak Bhattarai, said,” We were hoping that the hotel business would revive, with at least domestic tourists visiting Chitwan during the upcoming Dashain festival and . “But, now we have lost our hope due to the protracted coronavirus pandemic,” he added.
Likewise, outgoing President Chairman of Regional Hotel Association Suman Ghimire said that the hoteliers would bear huge losses if they resume their business until the favourable environment was fully restored. He said that both the businesspersons and labourers were on the same boat during this sorry state. “All the labourers are laid off. Their daily life is severely affected,” Ghimire added.
