Disaster area declaration to hit tourism

KEDAR DAHAL
KATHMANDU, June 18
The tourism sector is set to bear direct brunt of the government’s decision to declare three districts in Kathmandu Valley as disaster area for demolition of risky buildings damaged by the earthquake. Foreign insurance companies have hinted about not insuring tourists to visit Nepal after this decision, and foreigners do not visit other countries without insurance.
Insurance of tourists in Nepal has become expensive ever since the European Union blacklisted the Nepali sky. Declaration of disaster area at a time when tourist arrival was already falling after the earthquake has hit the tourism sector further. “Insurance companies look set to refuse to do insurance, and will charge a high premium even if they agree. We must revoke the declaration to send a positive message in the tourism sector,” former president of the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) Prasiddha Bahadur Pandey said. “We have opened the heritages to disseminate positive message across the world, and have declared disaster area on the other hand. This is contradictory,” he added.
The cabinet meeting on Sunday had declared the three districts in the Valley disaster area for one year as per the Natural Disaster Relief Act considering the possible obstructions in course of demolition of such risky structures. The government earlier had declared the 14 hardest-hit districts as disaster area for two months. It had then declared the three districts in the Valley as disaster area as the two-month period concluded.
“There is negative publicity across the world and insurance will definitely become expensive. The foreign companies have hinted about not doing insurance and that will affect even in the coming season. The government must, therefore, revoke the announcement,” President of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) Ramesh Dhamala said.
Workers in the tourism sector, meanwhile, have urged Tourism Minister Kripasur Sherpa to immediately take back the decision to declare disaster area stating that the announcement at a time when tourist arrival was already falling after the earthquake has hit the tourism sector further. “Over 200,000 persons have become jobless in the tourism sector now. More will lose their jobs and the sector will be in a huge risk if the declaration is implemented,” General Secretary of Nepal Trekking, Travels, Rafting and Airlines Workers Union Suman Parajuli said. Taking the memorandum letter from the workers, minister Sherpa expressed commitment to raise the issue in the cabinet meeting.