Nepal’s earthquake may cast a shadow on city’s tourism business as tour operators fear people would refrain from travelling to the country and demand refunds, which they cannot make.
Representatives of the tourism industry say that large groups of tourists from the city are visiting Nepal starting May first week, mainly for recreational purposes. While most visitors to Kathmandu would also visit the famous Pashupathinath temple, some may also choose to visit Muktinath. Those travelling by road could also visit Varanasi on the Indian side.
These groups could range from 60 to 100 people, with each person contributing around Rs. 70,000 on an average for a week’s tour. Bookings for May were completed by March end and calls for refund from customers are already coming in.
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“While customers are demanding a refund, hoteliers and agents in Nepal will not be able to return the money that tour operators here have blocked for accommodation and transport. Additionally, airlines won’t offer a full refund either. Tour operators will suffer huge financial losses,” said Imtiaz Qureshi, Managing Committee Member (National), Travel Agents’ Associations of India (TAAI).
The Telangana Tourism Department, which established contact with 28 people from the city who were stranded in Kathmandu, said it does not maintain a count of number of people visiting Nepal. One official estimated that at least 100 groups comprising 30 or more people visit Kathmandu and other tourism attractions in Nepal during summer from Telangana alone.
Travel agents, who have booked groups for travel as far as in August, are also a worried lot.
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“We expect some impact as we are hearing that there is a lot of damage on the ground. But all arrangements have been made and there is no way we could give customers a refund,” one operator said, not wanting to be named.