Tourism business is slowing down in Chitwan National Park and Central Community Forest due to the inability to increase more tourist activities other than jungle safaris. Tourism activities here have not been able to provide new activities to give newness to those who have visited for a second time.
Businessmen say that even though big hotels have opened on the banks of the Rapti river, there is no plan to bring in tourists. According to them, the tourism business here is declining.
Tourism professionals argue that tourists are not attracted due to unhealthy competition, lack of publicity, lack of investment in tourism infrastructure, weak coordination with local levels, expensive fees, poor hospitality, etc.
As big hotels inside the Chitwan National Park closed, arrival of tourists has been affected as international promotion was hindered. Although Chitwan is said to be the third tourist destination in the country, the statistics show that very few tourists come here compared to Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lumbini and other Himalayan destinations.
Tourists especially come to Chitwan National Park, Sauraha, Patihani and Meghauli Golaghat. Chitwan, which is at a closer distance from Kathmandu than Pokhara, does not attract tourists much.
Tourists visit Chitwan National Park and its surrounding areas through elephant safaris and jeep safaris to see wild animals, birds, reptiles, aquatic animals including the world's rarest one-horned rhinoceros, tiger, antelope, chital, kalij, peacocks.
Dr. Vishwa Subedi, a tourism expert, said that it has not been possible to work for the promotion of tourism in an organized manner. "It was not possible to conduct campaigns by organizing the stakeholders here", he said, "The lack of coordination between the municipalities has resulted in a decrease in the number of tourists."
He stated that Chitwan lacks new tourism activities and only has traditional tourism ventures. According to him, packages including trekking, promotion of religious areas, water tourism in the hilly parts of the district, should be made and widespread publicity should be done.
Suman Ghimire, former president of the regional hotel association Sauraha, admits that he has not been able to provide variation in activities for tourists. He said that the business could not take off due to activities other than those related to the forest. Ganesh Poudel, the owner of Hotel Jangal Villa in Patihani also has similar thoughts. With the construction of big hotels in the Bharatpur metropolitan area of the district, expensive tourists are coming to hotels in West Chitwan such as Patihani, Meghauli, Jagatpur. Paudel says that tourism here will not be able to rise if we do not pay attention to the promotion in time.
Deepak Bhattarai, president of Chitwan Regional Hotel Association, claims that tourism could not be promoted due to the lack of support from the government. According to him, they lack support from the local bodies. As park entrance fee is very expensive, the general discount offered by the hotel has not had much effect, he says
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