Military Tensions in West Asia Cause Significant Drop in Tourist Arrivals to Pokhara

Kaski. International flight disruptions due to escalating military tensions in West Asia have caused a major decline in tourist arrivals in Pokhara, Nepal's tourism capital. The decrease in visitors, particularly from Europe and the US, is attributed to the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran.

Tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara are feeling the pinch of the foreign tourist shortage during the second main tourist season. Most Western tourists traveling to Nepal use countries like Dubai, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia as transit points. As these regions become engulfed in conflict and air routes become unsafe, tourists have postponed their plans to visit Nepal.

According to Gopi Bhattarai, coordinator of the Visit Pokhara Campaign, advance bookings for hotels, travel agencies, and trekking companies in Pokhara are being canceled rapidly. Bhattarai stated that as the war prolongs, tourists intending to come to Nepal are being diverted elsewhere, pushing tourism entrepreneurs toward financial crisis.

Laxman Subedi, President of the Hotel Association Pokhara Nepal, also reported that tourist numbers in March, April, and May—months considered ideal for the Annapurna trek—are not as high as expected. He noted that the presence of American tourists is low due to the travel advisory issued by the US for its citizens. Subedi mentioned that while Western tourist arrivals have dropped, the presence of Indian and domestic tourists remains normal, similar to previous years.

Tourism entrepreneur Netra Paudel said that the fighting between Israel and Iran has directly impacted trekking bookings. He believes that uncertainty caused by the war has led to a lack of foreign trekkers in Pokhara and its surrounding areas, which are famous worldwide for trekking. Entrepreneurs are concerned that the tourism sector, which was just beginning to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, has once again become a victim of international politics.

The tourism sector is further affected by the rise in fuel and gas prices and shortages in the international market.