16/07/2010Tourist arrivals in Nepal rise by 1.9%, stay duration drop

Tourist arrivals in Nepal increased by 1.9 % in 2009, however, their average length of stay has declined, local media reported on Friday. According to the Economic Survey 2009/10, the average length of stay has gone down from 11.8 days in 2008 to 11.6 days in 2009. Tourists had started staying longer in the country in 2006 following the comprehensive peace accord ending the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) conflict. Since then, however, it has been decreasing constantly, The Kathmandu Post daily reported. Tourism entrepreneurs say that tourist stay in Nepal has been affected by political uncertainty, strikes and bandas. Hotels too suffered labor unrest in 2009 forcing visitors to cut short their Nepal tour.

"One of the reasons behind the drop in tourist stay could be the global recession which prompted vacationers to opt for shorter holidays," said Raju Bikram Shah, general manager of the Shangri- La Hotel. "We didn't see a drastic change in tourist stay," said David Yonjan of Yeti Travels. "The length of stay depends on the tour package." Tourist entrepreneurs are hopeful of the length of stay increasing with the number of tourists coming for recreation growing. As per the Economic Survey, 34 percent of the arrivals in 2009 came for recreation compared to 29.6 percent in 2008.

Tourism entrepreneurs say that if the political situation remains stable, the trend of taking longer holidays could increase. According to the Economic Survey, there has been a marginal increment in the number of visitors coming for pilgrimage from 9 percent in 2008 to 10.4 percent in 2009. Tourists putting down trekking and mountaineering as their purpose of visit amounted to 20.9 percent in 2009. Likewise, 4.7 percent came for trade, 7.6 percent for formal visit and 1.4 percent for meetings and seminars.