KATHMANDU, JUL 13 -
The future of six jungle resorts located inside Chitwan National Park (CNP) hangs in the balance as their lease agreements will be expiring in a few days.
Currently, the entire private sector, including entrepreneurs underHotel Association Nepal (HAN), Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal Chapter have been demanding that the lease agreements of the jungle resorts be renewed.
Tourism entrepreneurs of Sauraha have been lobbying with various government ministries and departments to get their contracts renewed.
A delegation led by the president of HAN Shyam Sundar Lal Kakshapati met Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and informed him of the negative consequences of closing down the hotels and resorts. According to the delegation, Bhattarai has assured them that the resorts would be allowed to continue to operate but they have not received a formal hearing from the government.
If the government does not extend their contracts, investments worth Rs 2 billion and the jobs of 3,000 people will be at stake, HAN said. Additionally, the government will be losing Rs 200 million annually in taxes, it said.
“Nepal is the second most popular wildlife destination after Africa, and the resorts inside CNP have played a crucial role in developing that image of the country,” said Kakshapati at an HAN interaction. “The government’s decision to shut down those hotels and resorts will taint the country’s image as a wildlife destination.” About 30 percent of all the tourists who visit Nepal go on jungle safari in Chitwan.
The government decided to shut down the jungle resorts within the protected area three years ago citing possible ecological imbalance affecting wildlife and other resources. Their lease agreements were extended for three years considering Nepal Tourism Year, and the extended deadline expires in mid-July. The government has said that it is not for providing another extension.
However, representatives from the private sector say that there are many national parks in the world which allow operation of resorts and that has not triggered any imbalances. “Indonesia and Malaysia have even emulated the concept from Nepal,” said Binod Chaudhary, president of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI). “They not only operate resorts, but also act for the conservation of wildlife and other natural resources.”
Speaking at the interaction, other entrepreneurs said that in order to bring a paradigm shift in the tourism industry, destination management was very important. According to them, only the private sector can play a significant role in destination management. “Such acts by the government has demoralized the private sector and the question of security of investment has been raised again,” said Prasiddh Bahadur Pandey, past president of HAN.
“The government by declaring investment year has shown that its main orientation at present is drawing investment whiles on the other hand it is showing contradictory action by taking such an irresponsible decision,” said Chaudhary. “The government must review its decision.”
Local entrepreneurs warn of protest
CHITWAN: Tourism entrepreneurs of Sauraha have warned of a protest if the government backtracks from its decision and renew lease terms of hotels and resorts operating inside the Chitwan National Park. At a press meet organised by a struggle committee formed by the entrepreneurs, speakers said resorts operating inside the park have disturbed the ecological balance, earned a lot of profits for years and have affected the wild habitat. The committee asked clarification from Regional Hotel Association President Shankar Sainju for publicly supporting the permit renewal. Sainju said it is unfair to launch protest against fellow entrepreneurs. “Only a handful of people with myopic vision are against the renewal,” said Sainju.
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/07/13/business/fate-of-jungle-resorts-in-chitwan-national-park-hangs-in-balance/357056/
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