Trekking Agencies said that although the business in the month of August was hit because of the ban in Tibet, the current enquiries and booking till the month of November was up by 25 percent. [break]Officials said although there wasn´t remarkable change in major market segments-Europe and America, the business was going to be encouraging because of increasing number of trekkers from new segment.
Mohan Lamsal, Managing Director of Makalu Adventure said the enquiries starting from mid-September was positive. Lamsal who is also General Secretary at Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) said although the enquiry from European segment was slow compared to last year, the overall booking had gone up by 25 percent.
Bikram Pandey at Himalaya Expedition said the booking for autumn was good overall in all the segment. “The slight changes can be felt from the month of September and it is going to get much better by October,” Pandey said referring to his recent booking. He further said American market however was not looking so encouraging compared to same period a year.
The statistics of the government suggest that around 400,000 tourist went trekking during Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011. “The number of trekkers has observed sustained growth and the present booking status suggest that the trekking business for the peak season was going to yield overwhelming result,” said Lamsal.
Ishori Paudel at Himalayan Guide said, “Although the enquiry is positive, we are yet to receive the confirm booking.” Paudel further said that if the political stability continues there is a good chance for the business to increase by 20 to 25 percent.
Although majority of trekkers in Nepal come from Europe and America, number of trekkers from Asian region was also on rise. Tourism entrepreneurs said Chinese tourist who used to limit their visits to sight-seeing have started going for treks in recent days.
President of TAAN, Mahendra Singh Thapa said that although the booking for this season was good, it was very important to come up with competitive package as the attraction of trekking in nearby destinations like Tibet and Ladakh was on rise. “ Along with the competitive pricing its important to introduce new trials which will encouraging visitors to come again,” said he.
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