MYAGDI, Oct 23: Tourist arrivals at popular destinations in Myagdi have started to increase following Dashain, as favourable weather and repairs to the Beni-Jomsom road linking the district with Mustang have made travel easier.
Local business owners said tourists began arriving on Thursday at destinations including Ghodepani, Poon Hill, Khopra, Singa Tatopani, Bhurung Tatopani, Annapurna Base Camp, Rupse Waterfall and Galeshwar.
Hotel operator Baburam Acharya of Galeshwar in Beni Municipality 9 said arrivals had increased immediately after the main Dashain tika day.
“Tourist arrivals had dropped to almost zero after the Beni Jomsom road was blocked by flooding in the Kali Gandaki River in the second week of October. Arrivals have started picking up since Thursday,” he said. “With traffic resuming after repairs, we expect more visitors between Dashain and Tihar and a recovery in tourism businesses.”
The Myagdi section of the Beni-Jomsom road, which was blocked by landslides and flooding in the Kali Gandaki River following continuous rainfall from October 24 to 27, reopened in the final week of October after repairs.
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Historical data show that October and November, during the autumn trekking season, are the months when Myagdi receives the highest number of foreign tourists.
Dam Bahadur Pun, a former chair of Annapurna Rural Municipality and a hotel operator in Ghodepani, said foreign tourist arrivals were unlikely to match previous years because of flooding in the Bhotekoshi, Kali Gandaki and Budhi Gandaki rivers. He said local tourism businesses were now looking forward to domestic trekkers travelling during the Dashain and Tihar holidays.
“The Ghodepani Poon Hill Ghandruk trekking route is safe,” he said. “Roads and trails damaged by floods and landslides have been repaired, allowing transport services to resume. We expect tourist arrivals to increase.”
Poon Hill, located at an altitude of 3,210 metres, is a major destination on the Annapurna Circuit. A 45-minute uphill walk from Ghodepani takes visitors to the viewpoint, which is popular for sunrise views, Himalayan panoramas and trekking.
Singa Tatopani in Beni Municipality 4 is known for its natural hot springs, while Bhurung Tatopani in Annapurna Rural Municipality 2 is another popular tourist destination. The Singa hot spring, which was damaged by flooding in the Myagdi River, reopened in the final week of October after repairs.
Bhurung Tatopani and Paudwar Tatopani have also remained safe. Both have developed into places where trekkers on the Annapurna Circuit and visitors travelling to and from Mustang can rest and recover.
Pritam Purja, operator of Bhurung Tatopani, said tourist arrivals had resumed after a gap of about a month.
Bhurung Tatopani is also the gateway to the Maurice Herzog Trail, which leads to the Annapurna Base Camp. The trail, a growing tourist attraction in Myagdi, escaped major damage from the disasters.
Hotel operator Kaji Thapa of Bhurung Tatopani said around 150 domestic tourists headed to Annapurna Base Camp on Thursday.
Chhuma Paija, who runs a tea shop near Rupse Waterfall, said tourist activity had resumed after nearly a month. Ramesh Pandey, a visitor from Chitwan, said he had travelled to Mustang during the Dashain holiday. He said visitors could now travel through Myagdi to Mustang by bus, jeep and motorcycle.
Tourism operators expect business in Myagdi and Mustang to recover if reconstruction of damaged roads and trekking trails moves ahead alongside repairs.
Tejaswi Sharma, chief of the Beni-Jomsom-Korala Road Project, said work was underway to repair roads and ensure smooth transport during the peak tourist season.
RSS