Domestic tourism in Chitwan has remained subdued this Dashain, with travellers wary of renewed road closures following the Bhotekoshi and Budhigandaki floods, despite the reopening of major highways.
Tourist destinations used to bustle during the Dashain holiday in previous years. Last year, however, arrivals were subdued because of the Gen Z protests, and this year the impact of the floods has further dampened travel activity.
Sauraha, one of Chitwan’s main tourist hubs, has yet to see an encouraging influx of domestic visitors this Dashain. Om Prakash Pandey, president of the Regional Hotel Association Nepal, Chitwan, said his Hotel Landmark in Sauraha had just seven of its 75 rooms booked on Thursday.
“It is not just Sauraha. Even Pokhara, which is usually bustling with tourists, has fewer domestic visitors than in previous years,” Pandey said.
He believes travellers are worried that further rainfall could disrupt roads again. The heavy loss of life and property caused by the Bhotekoshi and Budhigandaki floods may also have dampened the festive mood, he said, with people celebrating Dashain less enthusiastically than usual.
He believes travellers are worried that further rainfall could disrupt roads again. The heavy loss of life and property caused by the Bhotekoshi and Budhigandaki floods may also have dampened the festive mood, he said, with people celebrating Dashain less enthusiastically than usual.
Pandey expects visitor numbers to rise gradually in the coming days. Bookings that were postponed after the Bhotekoshi floods are now being rescheduled, while new reservations have started coming in. He expects both domestic and foreign arrivals to increase as the holiday progresses.
Hotelier Suman Ghimire also expects domestic tourist numbers in Sauraha to pick up from Friday. He anticipates many hotels will fill up over the three days from Friday to Sunday.
“We are confident that tourist numbers will gradually increase,” Ghimire said. With the Dashain holiday underway, he remains hopeful that domestic visitors will fill Sauraha’s hotels.
He acknowledged that Sauraha had yet to regain its usual bustle but expected visitor numbers to rise towards a seasonal peak before gradually declining, with tourist arrivals continuing until around April-May.
Ramesh Silwal, owner of Hotel Vista, said he hoped domestic tourist numbers would pick up in the coming days. Some foreign tourists had visited during Dashain, while travellers from India and other countries had begun making inquiries and bookings.
Hotel operators are optimistic that international arrivals will recover further. The Bhotekoshi floods struck just as the post-monsoon tourist season was beginning, forcing the cancellation of numerous bookings and causing substantial losses to businesses.
Prakash Neupane, general manager of Banbas Resort in Sauraha, said his hotel had been fully occupied by foreign tourists for the past three days.
“Foreign tourists have filled my hotel for the past three days,” he said, adding that guests had arrived from Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Australia and the United States.
Domestic bookings remain weak, but Neupane expects the situation to improve. Tourists whose visits were delayed after the Bhotekoshi floods are now beginning to arrive, he said.
“Tourists coming to Nepal have started visiting Sauraha again as they did before,” he said.
Sauraha lies at the entrance to Chitwan National Park and serves as a base for visitors exploring the park and surrounding buffer-zone community forests. Tourists also stay in Patihani, Jagatpur and Meghauli, in Bharatpur, to explore the area on elephant rides, jeep safaris, boat trips and guided walks.
The region draws visitors keen to see wildlife, including the one-horned rhinoceros and Royal Bengal tiger, and experience Tharu culture. Chitwan ranks among Nepal’s most popular tourist destinations and is the country’s leading hub for safari tourism.