Kathmandu, 10 Jul: Tourists heading to Kailash Mansarovar are facing difficulties due to delays in the visa verification process. Business operators have complained that the Chinese Embassy is taking more than 10 days for visa verification, causing at least 2,500 tourists to be stranded in Kathmandu.
In the past, the visa process used to take only three days, but now it takes up to 10 days, and due to the uncertainty of visa approval, nearly 3,000 tourists are waiting in various five-star hotels in Kathmandu for the Mansarovar pilgrimage, according to tour operators.
Ramesh Ojha, Managing Director of Ojha Holiday Tours and Treks Pvt. Ltd., stated that the new visa verification policy introduced during the peak season has troubled tourism entrepreneurs. According to him, as the process now takes up to 10 days instead of the previous three, more than 2,000 religious tourists have been unable to proceed to Mansarovar.
While the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage is already facing delays due to visa verification, tourists have encountered further difficulties after flooding in Rasuwa recently blocked the roadway. Since most tourists travel to Mansarovar via the Rasuwagadhi–Kerung route, the blockage has caused additional problems. The disruption has made it difficult for Indian tourists to reach their destination, as the majority of Indian nationals take this route to Mansarovar.
Indian-origin citizens from various countries also travel to Kailash Mansarovar by air, either through the Kathmandu–Simikot route in Humla or via Kathmandu to Lhasa in China.
Kailash Mansarovar can also be reached via the Kerung route from Kathmandu. For this, one must travel from Kathmandu to Kerung via Rasuwagadhi. Another route is from Kathmandu via Nepalgunj and then through Humla to reach Mansarovar.
More than half a dozen companies such as Ojha Holidays, Richa Travels and Tours, Eco Trek, Heritage Tours and Travel, Sunny Travel, and Trekker Society are among the major operators organizing Kailash Mansarovar tours.
Namraj Joshi, the operator of Liazar Port in Mumbai, India, expressed his frustration that a group of 39 people has been waiting for visas in Kathmandu for the past 10 days. The group, who are staying in Kathmandu, are eagerly awaiting their visas. Business operators have been complaining about the disruptions to the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage during the peak season.
During the meeting of the House of Representatives’ Committee on International Relations and Tourism held on Ashad 22 (mid-July), members of parliament also drew attention to the delayed visa process, highlighting that hundreds of foreign nationals were waiting in hotels. In response, Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Minister Badri Prasad Pande committed to coordinating with the Chinese Embassy through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the visa process for pilgrims going to Mansarovar.
Foreign pilgrims purchase packages for Kailash Mansarovar costing between 2,500 to 3,000 US dollars. They also have to spend around 2,000 dollars on airfare by themselves. In total, foreign travelers have to spend between 5,000 to 7,000 US dollars to undertake the Mansarovar pilgrimage.
“Foreigners used to get entry permission from Lhasa, and after submitting their passports, visas were issued within three days. Currently, after foreigners arrive, the Chinese Embassy carries out visa verification. Due to visa delays, tour operator companies have had to pay hotels for more than five to ten nights’ stay. They have been spending more money than their commissions and facing unnecessary stress and hassles,” business operators say.
After the Rasuwa border was blocked by a landslide, business operators said efforts are underway to transport those who have received visas to their destinations via Nepalgunj and Humla. They reported that prolonged stays cause tourists to incur extra expenses, and some are even in a position to return.
Tourists traveling through Nepal to Tibet, Mansarovar, and Lhasa constitute nearly 20 percent of the overall tourism in this region, according to companies working here. Annually, about 20,000 to 25,000 tourists visit Mansarovar.
Between June 25 and July 9, tourists had to stay in hotels due to visa verification delays, increasing the financial burden on Nepali businesses. A company reported that Indian-origin citizens from the United States reached Lhasa on Wednesday after a 10-day visa process.
“We business operators are the most affected due to delays in visa verification. We have to spend more on tourist management than the commissions we receive from tours,” said Surya Pathak, Managing Director of Soham Journey Pvt. Ltd., which organizes Kailash tours.
Recalling that they used to send about 3,000 tourists in one season, Pathak expressed hope that this year at least 1,000 tourists will be able to travel. The company had facilitated Mansarovar travel for nearly 4,000 people in 2019.
More than 30 companies are affiliated with the Association of Kailash Tour Operators Nepal. The Kailash Mansarovar travel season lasts about five months, from May to September. According to the association, up to 25,000 tourists travel to Mansarovar annually via Nepal. Since the Nepalgunj–Simikot–Hilsa route is the closest to Mansarovar, a significant number of tourists use this route every year to reach their destination.
Tour companies report that Indian citizens pay between NPR 250,000 to 300,000, while Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) pay at least NPR 1,000,000 for the Mansarovar tour. Indian-origin people living in developed countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia increasingly undertake this pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar.
