Different travel trade associations like Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) and Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) have urged the government to renovate the runway as soon as possible.
Officials of HAN on Friday met with the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ram Kumar Shrestha and told him that runway problems might affect tourist arrivals in the upcoming season. [break]
Nepal´s new tourist season begins from mid-September.
“As the problems in runway not only affect international flights but also put passengers in risk, we have requested the minister to renovate runway as soon as possible,” Amar Man Shakya, general secretary of HAN, told Republica.
The officials of HAN also requested Minister Shrestha to carry out runway maintenance without affecting international flights, as the number of tourists visiting the country has been declining this year compared to 2011 and 2012.
Responding to the requests, Minister Shrestha instructed Sushil Ghimire, secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA), and Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, director general of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), who were present in the meeting, to immediately request international airlines operating flights in Nepal to adopt load reduction measures.
He suggested to the officials to instruct representatives of international airlines to minimize cargo load, fill return fuel at TIA, and take food served inside the aircraft from Kathmandu itself. Minister Shrestha also asked the officials to stop circulation of negative news regarding operation of wide-body aircraft and instruct the Spanish consultant, which is studying the problems on the runway, to submit its report as soon as possible.
Similarly, NATO urged the concerned government authorities to find a permanent solution to the runway problem rather than putting restriction on airlines to ensure the TIA´s continuous operation. “Problems occurred in the eve of the peak tourist season will be a big setback for the tourism industry,” NATO said in a statement.
Gangasagar Pant, CEO of Trekking Agencies´ Association of Nepal (TAAN), said runway problems, if not resolved in time, might affect tourist arrivals in the peak season. “Tourists might shorten their stay or even go to the extent of canceling their visit,” Pant said, adding, “It will make long-term impact in our tourism industry.”
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