Trekking industry sees meager growth

KATHMANDU, Jan 12: Despite opening of new trekking trails, the country´s trekking industry saw marginal growth in number of trekkers, causing the trekking revenue to shrink in 2012.



The news on fall in trekking business comes at a time when the number of Asian and European tourists visiting Nepal rose by 15.1 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively, in 2012. [break]



According to trekking operators, poor promotion, shortening of trekking routes and decline in number of European tourists hit their business.

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Mahendra Singh Thapa, president of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), said overall business saw a meager growth of around 5 percent on average in 2012. “The business was not that bad, but compared with that of previous year, there was nothing to be excited about,” he said.



In 2012, five different trekking trails were opened in an attempt to bag additional business. But the effort did not yield desired result due to lack of proper coordination between private sector and the government, said trekking entrepreneurs.







Sitaram Sapkota, who runs Karyang Kurung Treks and Expedition, said external factors like economic slowdown in Europe did have some impact, but lack of proper coordination between entrepreneurs and the government played a bigger role in causing the trekking business to shrink.



Sapkota identified expensive air fare to Nepal and lack of proper transport modes to many trekking destinations as major deterrents to the trekking business. “These reasons are making trekking packages expensive for tourists, while entrepreneurs have to work on low profit margin to survive the growing competition,” he said.



According to statistics, 2012 saw a total of 104,362 tourists signing up for Annapurna Trek--the most popular in the country. The number recorded last year was higher by five percent, as against 12 percent growth rate seen in 2011, said the Annapura Conservation Area Project.



Pokhara-based trekking entrepreneur Narayan Sapkota, who is also the regional president of TAAN Pokhara Chapter, said: “The number of trekkers are falling due to construction of roads in many trekking routes. This has not only reduced the length of the trek but made the trails dusty and polluted.”



(With inputs from Santosh Pokharel from Pokhara)

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