January 15, Kathmandu: While the tourism sector is slowly gaining momentum, the fear of the Omicron variant has once again made the Sector panic. The rising epidemic figures in recent days have worried not only businessmen but also the general public. The growing graph of coronavirus infections is expected to threaten the country’s economic and social sectors once again.
Entrepreneurs have demanded to keep the tourism business in operation by adhering to health standards amidst the adverse conditions of the epidemic. Experts say that more than half of the total population has been vaccinated against covid and there is no threat like variant Delta. However, experts say the new variant will spread the infection faster and increase patient pressure in the hospital by end-January.
The government is in talks with stakeholders to control the epidemic as the number of coronavirus cases has skyrocketed in recent days. In this context, the entrepreneurs of the tourism sector have demanded to continue the business by following the health standards. He also urged the government not to make such a decision, saying that the sudden lockdown due to the Corona Infection has brought the tourism sector down in the past. Entrepreneurs suggest that tourism should be mobilized by adopting awareness and making vaccination effective as the infection is increasing.
Binayak Shah, the first vice-president of the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), said that the business should be continued by adhering to health safety standards. The hotel area is also deserted due to the threat of an epidemic.
Achyut Guragain, president of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA), said there was no alternative to boosting booster vaccines against viruses and boosting tourism by adhering to health standards.
According to Kul Bahadur Gurung, General Secretary of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), the tourism sector should be run immediately instead of shutting down as the variant of Covid-19 is not as deadly as the previous wave.
Chairman of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), Khom Bahadur Subedi, pointed out the need for the government and the private sector to work with effective action plans to keep the business afloat by adopting an epidemic alert.
Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal Chapter Suresh Singh Baduwal said that the new variant of Covid has made the tourism sector panic and coordination and cooperation between government and private sector is needed on how to run the business.
