As fuel shortage bites, tourism sector worried about quality of service

Figuring out how to maintain their promised quality of service, keeping tourists comfortable, costs low, and fulfilling pledges made on their sold packages has become their top priority. Given that they have no fuel, how are they going to transport guests to places they had promised to take them on their package, they ask. Airlines, travel and tour operators, hoteliers and trekking companies are worried about how they'll provide hassle-free service to tourist if the unofficial economic blockade by India continues. "Airlines are having a hard time due to an Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) shortage. There is little or no fuel to transport those passengers to hotels, which are also running out of LPG to cook food for guests and diesel to run generators. Travel agencies and companies are having a hard time transporting tourists due to lack of petrol and diesel," Bijay Amatya, CEO of Kora Tours, says, adding that the travel and hospitality industry was going through its worst period and things could get worse if the situation continued and was not solved by next week. Because of all the above reasons, tourists who had already planned trips to Nepal are in a dilemma on whether to hold on to their plans or go elsewhere. Beatrice Hearne who had dreamt of visiting Nepal for decades told Republica on Facebook that she and her husband still wanted to come but were worried that they wouldn't be able to do anything as per their plans due to the fuel shortage. One of the major problems is connectivity. When international flights are being cancelled and schedules are being changed, tourists won't find it that comfortable visiting Nepal. Bharat Kumar Shrestha, chairman of Airline Operators Committee-Nepal says airlines are only operating flights right now to protect the image of Nepal during a national crisis. "We, the airline companies, have been facing huge losses as we have to pay delay-compensation, arrange connecting flights, bear food and accommodation costs for passengers if they miss their connecting flights. We are also carrying fewer passengers to reduce weight to use less fuel as well as carrying extra fuel. Overall when we have to conduct technical landing at other airports for refueling, we have to reduce at least 15 to 20 passengers," Shrestha says. "We are visiting as we want to help Nepal but we are more worried now than right after the quake," Hearne, who is visiting Nepal from London, says. Mihika Dhakwa, the general secretary of Nepal Association of Travel and Tour Agents (NATTA), says the fuel-crisis has not yet resulted in cancellations as the international media has not yet covered it. "However, we, the travel and tour operators, are facing problems mainly as we are worried about fulfilling the promise given to our guests such as receiving them at the airport, transport facilities and sight-seeing, among others," Dhakwa says. Ashok Pokharel, the president of Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO), says global operators are enquiring about the situation but they [Nepali tour operators] are not in a position to provide concrete answers as not the problem was not in the hands of Nepal. They were also uncertain when the problem would be solved. The hoteliers are also facing problem as they are running out of LPG gas for serving food to guests, diesel for operating generators during load-shedding and fuel for their vehicles. Yogendra Shakya, a prominent tourism entrepreneur, says that when tourists have finally started forgetting about the earthquake, and Nepal has been welcoming tourists, this unofficial economic blockade has hampered the tourism industry a lot. "We are now worried not because tourists are not coming but because we are not in a position to fulfill all of what is in their wish list," Shakya says. Deepal Mahat, the president of Nepal Entrepreneurs Association of Tourism (NEAT), says that the protests in the tarai regions and the blockade, which have resulted in problems in supply, transport and connectivity, have created serious problems for the trekking industry at a time when the industry has already been trying to deal with a negative message about trekking destinations sent by the quake.