The tourism industry, which was recently returning back to its normal, has seen problems resurface again . The recent surge in positive cases resulted in many tourists canceling their trips to Nepal. Despite it being less fatal, Omicron has been proven to be highly contagious, thus making traveling riskier. Restrictions in sectors such as commuting, hotels etc. also results in the downfall of the travel and tourism industry as these are all linked together.

 “The third wave has affected us the same way as the first and second wave did. Various protocols such as quarantine, vaccination and PCR tests, etc. , albeit necessary, are discouraging for foreigners”, says Prajwal Khatri, Ride and Tour Coordinator of Sacred Summit. “We were slowly getting some pickup. There were many inquiries during November/December. But the Omicron wave’s rise has affected the business severely”, says Sunil Rana, Managing Director of Adventure World Trails and Travels Pvt. Ltd. “The fatality rate of this variant being pretty low is a positive boost to tourism as well”, he adds.

There are a lot of inquiries coming from tourists around the world who want to visit Nepal. However, the government has not come up with proper plans and policies regarding tourism and the pandemic yet. This has become a major problem for travel agencies around the country. “There have definitely been inquiries from various foreigners. If the government permits us to operate, then we can definitely work with proper protocols and preventive measures in place”, says Surendra Guruwacharya, CEO of B-Line Tours & Travel. “If there are concrete policies in place regarding our issues, it would be easier for us to work our way around it properly”, he adds.