SANGAM

Star hotels feel protest heat
SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, APR 30 - The hospitality industry, it seems, is feeling the heat of the May 1 Maoist mass protest and the indefinite strike that may follow. With the announcement of the indefinite strike, star hotels in Kathmandu have started receiving booking cancellations. Hoteliers said reservations for April had been encouraging despite the month being an off-season one. However, next month may not be so good as they have started receiving cancellation orders from foreign clients. Assistant front office manager at Everest Hotel Kiran Tuladhar said they have received around five individual and around three group cancellations till Thursday. “We were expecting incentive groups from India next month as they come here during the summer season,” he said. “Now, they may not visit Nepal due to the Maoist strike.” “If the strike continues for a long time, the hotel business may suffer considerably,” said Binay Budhathoki, reservation agent at Radisson Hotel. He added that there had been about three cancellations till date. The hotel’s occupancy in April was 96 percent. Reservation manager of Hotel de l’ Annapurna, said: “We have been receiving around 10-12 cancellations every day after the announcement of the strike.” Senior manager, sales and marketing at Hotel Shangri-La, Mohan Khanal, however, said they have not received any cancellation so far. “However, if the situation remains the same, we too will not be spared.” Most of the five star hotels have over 70 percent occupancy in the month of April. Ram Kaji Koney, former president of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents, said the term “indefinite strike” has heightened concern in the travel and trade sectors. “This being the off-season, the tourism sector will not be affected much. However, such activities will have an impact on the coming season,” said Koney. He quoted tourism entrepreneurs as harbouring concerns that tourist arrivals might go down significantly in May. Nepal received 44,431 tourists in March — a jump of 34.6 percent as compared to the same month last year. In the first three months this year, a robust 29.8 percent cumulative growth had been witnessed in comparison to the same period last year.