Gandaki, Ashoj 4 (Sep 20): With autumn, the main season of trekking tourism has started. The months of October-October and Chait-Vaisakh are considered very good for padayatra. Tourists have started coming to the tourist destinations here, including the world-famous Annapurna cycle path for trekking. Krishna Prasad Acharya, president of Trekking Association of Nepal (TAN) Gandaki informed that the movement of tourists will increase from mid-August.
“Bookings of foreign tourists are coming, Nepalese people go out for sightseeing more around Decain”, he said, “Pedestrian tourism has not yet returned to the pre-Covid-19 situation, but it is moving towards improvement, it is expected that tourists will increase during this time.” Chairman Acharya says that the delay in the construction of the Pokhara-Muglin road is also hindering the easy movement of tourists entering this area. He said that the main road connecting Pokhara, the tourist capital, and air travel should be made safe and orderly.
President Acharya says that some of the old and established footpaths are in crisis due to the roads, so alternatives should be found. He said that ‘Tan’ is planning to promote the new tourist trail on the occasion of the International Tourism Day next week. The organization oriented the guides about biodiversity and environment to make trekking tourism more organized.
According to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), 2,577 foreign tourists have entered the Annapurna region in the last three days since October. Out of which there are 1,572 people from South Asian countries and 1,500 people from other countries. Last August, a total of 13,270 tourists including 7,369 from South Asian countries and 5,901 from other countries visited the Annapurna region. ‘ACAP’ has been keeping the statistics of foreign tourists who reach various destinations in the area by foot and road.
The head of the project, Dr. Ravin Kadaria, requested the tourists going there to avoid bottles and plastic materials as much as possible, as a campaign to make the Annapurna Conservation Area free of garbage has been conducted. “We request the tourists to travel with special caution as there is an increase in the incidence of falls when traveling to high hills and mountains,” he said. Dr. Kadaria informed that 21 tourists who went on a visit to the Annapurna region died in the lake last year.
Among them, six were Nepalese, 11 Indians, two Malaysians, one Ukrainian and one British citizen. “Most of the accidents happen in Muktinath area of ​​Mustang”, said Dr. Kadaria, “One should take special care when trekking in the Himalayas, one should not reach the height at once, one should take rest.” He says that when going on a long-distance trek, you should only go in a group or with a guide. Julie Pun, a tourism entrepreneur from Ghodepani in Myagdi, which is famous for hiking, said that since the weather has opened up, hiking tourists have started coming. “Foreigners prefer walking, but most of the domestic tourists come here by road,” he said. He said that because of the dilapidated roads, the businessmen are finding it difficult to bring the goods they need.
Businessman Pun said that foreign tourists are still not able to enter Ghadepani like before the Covid-19. “The ship accidents that happened at various times on Pokhara’s air route have also affected the tourism sector, there is also a problem because the highway connecting Kathmandu to Pokhara is not built on time”, he said, “Government needs to conduct infrastructure construction and promotion programs to boost the tourism sector.”
Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal, Ghandruk, Tilicho Lake in Manang, Thorangla Bhanjyang, Upallo Mustang, Muktinath, Ghodepani in Myagdi are the tourist destinations of Annapurna. Khumai Danda, Kori, Sikles, Dhampus, Tangting, Lwang and other villages of Kaski are also popular destinations for trekking. Dr. Kadaria, the head of ‘ACAP’, said that short, medium and long-distance treks in the Annapurna region can be arranged from any route including Kaski, Lamjung, Manang, Myagdi.
Four years ago, the famous international travel site Lonely Planet listed the Annapurna cycle path as one of the ten must-visit destinations in the world. Mustang Valley, which was included in the list of 23 must-visit destinations in the world by the American news organization ‘CNN’ in 2023, is also located in the Annapurna Conservation Area. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres visited the Annapurna base camp last fall. 89 wards of 16 local levels of Kaski, Lamjung, Manang, Myagdi and Mustang are included in the Annapurna conservation area spread over seven thousand six hundred square kilometers.
Annapurna region has become the choice of foreign tourists due to its natural beauty, biological diversity, mountain life, potential, culture etc. Last year, 222,180 foreign tourists entered the Annapurna region. Out of which, there are 117,845 tourists from Asian countries and 14,256 tourists from other countries.
Hiking tourism in this area, which was introduced by foreign tourists in the past, has recently become equally popular among domestic tourists. People go on treks to enjoy Nepal’s natural beauty, unique geography, climate, biological diversity, mountain life, civilization and culture. Walking is also considered suitable for physical, human health and fitness.
