As part of measures to check the spread of coronavirus, Nepal has stopped issuing visas on arrival to tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from. All mountaineering expeditions have also been stopped for this season. This will lead to about 20,000 people losing their jobs, including guides.
Till now only one person in Nepal has tested positive, and the infected individual has already received treatment for the same. This is the season when maximum mountaineers visit Nepal to try and scale the peaks of the Himalayas. The season lasts till June. But this year, the Government of Nepal has stopped issuing permits for expeditions and Everest ascents. As a result, tour, trekking and mountain guides may end up without jobs.
The country has more than 16,000 trekking and mountain guides and over 4,000 tour guides. The country generates over Rs 240 billion through tourism alone. In fact, the tourism sector is a source of direct livelihood for more than a million people. It is estimated that approx. one million people whose livelihood depends on foreign trekkers and mountaineers will struggle to make ends meet, following this move
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), almost 50 million jobs may be lost, globally, due to the pandemic. This is because, not only have thousands of international flights been cancelled, many insurance firms have stopped giving travel cover for new clients. As per WTTC, the travel sector will be reduced by up to 25 per cent this year.
