Bluesky, Sahara, Loyal, Rainbow Safari and Satyam Travels are adding two buses each, while Benchmark and Adventure are adding a bus each, according to Kedar Sharma, president of Pokhara Chapter of the Nepal Association of Tours and Travels Agents (NATTA).[break]
These seven companies are injecting new investment of Rs 80 million. “A tourist bus costs around Rs 6.5 million,” Sharma said, adding: “The new buses will provide extra facilities compared to buses that are already plying on the route.”
At present, around three dozen tourist buses are operating on Kathmandu-Pokhara-Kathmandu route, ferrying around 1,000 tourists a day.
“The new buses will have seating capacity of 35. They will have additional features like seat belts and light in each seats,” added Sharma.
The entrepreneurs are also planning to expand tourist bus services on other routes like Pokhara-Butwal, Pokhara-Chitwan and Pokhara-Lumbini.
“For that to happen, the government should ensure competitive business environment by scrapping transporters´ syndicate and monopoly of certain travel agencies,” Sharma said, referring to unhealthy practices in the tourism industry. He further added that some entrepreneurs want to operate tourist bus services even to different Indian cities.
Apart from serving tourists on Kathmandu-Pokhara-Kathmandu, tourist buses even bring in tourists from different Indian cities.
“But this is not a regular service. Entrepreneurs take their buses to India only Indian tour operators call them,” Sharma said, adding: “Nepali tourist buses have been bringing in tourists from Indian cities like Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Varanasi in recent months.”
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