<figure><img width="1620" height="1028" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110919118/636bed3b4b0ad905ca02eed1jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photos: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>There are signs that after nine months of stoppage due to the pandemic, flights between Kathmandu and Indian cities are set to resume.The Cabinet last week approved a Ministry of Tourism proposal to allow all flights to all destinations as per the pre-pandemic schedules. The Ministry, for its part, has instructed the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to begin the process of restarting the flights.“The government has decided to allow all flights to resume, and we are now starting the necessary preparations to resume flights between India and Bangladesh initially,” Ministry of Tourism spokesperson Kamal Prasad Bhattarai told Nepali Times. The prospect for the resumption of flights is looking better after a thaw in relations between India and Nepal which had been strained by the border dispute over Lipu Lekh. There was a slew of high level visits by Indian officials in November, with the latest one last week by India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.In addition, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali is scheduled to visit New Delhi on 15 December for bilateral talks that are expected to bring Indo-Nepal relations to a more even keel. “It will look odd if Minister Gyawali flies from Kathmandu to New Delhi and back when there are no scheduled flights between the two cities,” said a senior executive at Nepal Airlines. Tens of thousands of Nepali businessmen, students, families and those seeking medical treatment have been stranded in India for months, as have Indians in Nepal.Commentators have pointed out the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-baffling-ban-on-india-flights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-baffling-ban-on-india-flights/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF4YAORCYxMdNHo98G3ag2BiAoMDw">absurdity of the absence of flights</a> between the two countries when air connections from Kathmandu are almost back to normal to other overseas destinations, and both India and Nepal allow unlimited domestic flights. Besides, they say thousands of nationals of both countries are crossing the land border between the two countries even though travel at official checkpoints are still supposed to be restricted.  <figure><img width="1496" height="1038" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110919118/636bed3d4b0ad905ca02eed2jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>In August, India had proposed a ‘travel bubble’ with Nepal as it has with 20 other countries, including Bangladesh and Bhutan. The arrangement has allowed Bhutan’s Druk Air, for example to restart flights Paro-New Delhi. However, there was no response from the Nepal government to the proposal. Observers blamed this on strained relations between the two countries, as well as India’s delay in granting more air routes in addition to the existing two entry points for flights descending into Kathmandu through Indian air space.  The Ministry of Tourism has also been pushing for reopening India flights because the state-owned carrier Nepal Airlines is in deep financial crisis due to under-utilisation of its Airbus fleet. There <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF3chYwaXnaT1l80LstSw9e9qGFFw">used to be up to 60 flights a week</a> between Indian cities and Kathmandu, of which Nepal Airlines flew weekly 18. The losses for the airline have been particularly heavy because of the inability to fly the money-spinning Kathmandu-Delhi route. Flights to and from Kathmandu airport were stopped on 24 March when Nepal went into complete lockdown. Although some <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/repatriation-regular-flights-to-nepal-to-resume/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/repatriation-regular-flights-to-nepal-to-resume/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEjOwfiNdFT7zTk3XrcD_KmL53Xhw">repatriation charter flights </a>were allowed, Nepal remained cut off from India. Even when the ban on regular flights was <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/unlimited-flights-to-nepal-from-17-october/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/unlimited-flights-to-nepal-from-17-october/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHfFKKcRE5Tedvf3Cf23ChQ2QRutA">partially lifted on 1 October</a>, Indian and Nepali airlines were not allowed to operate to and from Indian cities to Kathmandu. Despite the optimism, some say that flights are not likely until 1 January, when India is set to allow all regular international flights to its cities. At present only repatriation flights and some 'air bubble' regular flights are allowed on international routes from Indian cities.  The Nepal government allowed foreigners, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/trekkers-welcome-in-nepal-but-conditions-apply/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/trekkers-welcome-in-nepal-but-conditions-apply/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFUeqKDI0iYxQywZnm1zOZ-EqNiGQ">but only trekkers and mountaineers</a>, to visit Nepal from 17 October, but the resurgence of Covid-19 in Nepal, India and Europe has meant that there are not so many foreign passengers. Airlines that have resumed flights to Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, the Gulf cities and Istanbul have done so with reduced frequency, and mostly carry Nepali families or migrant workers.   There has been a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/everest-trek-closed-open-closed-open-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/everest-trek-closed-open-closed-open-again/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH-pfaOkifP9PaiUme84imZ2HVC9Q">trickle of trekkers</a> coming to Nepal, but they have to spend a week in quarantine in Kathmandu and need a PCR negative test before they can head off to the mountains. However, the Ministry of Tourism is said to be pressing the government to open Nepal to all foreigners in time for the Christmas New Year holidays. Before the Covid-19 crisis, Kathmandu airport used to handle an average of 80 international flights a day, which has come down to only about 20 now. Sixteen international carriers and Nepal Airlines currently operate flights to and from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Doha, Kuwait, Muscat, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Istanbul, Narita, Seoul and Bangkok.  “The next step is for CAAN to approach the Indian civil aviation authorities to request for slots, and then coordinate the timetables, we do not yet know how many flights per day there will be,” explained CAAN spokesperson Rajkumar Chhetri. So far India’s Indigo and Nepal’s private carrier Shree Airlines have been flying occasional charter and cargo flights between Kathmandu and Kolkata and Delhi.  Meanwhile, domestic flights in Nepal are back to 75% of pre-Covid levels. Nepal’s domestic carriers Yeti Airlines and Buddha Air have also restarted their <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14313#.X8Yw4i8RoWo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D14313%23.X8Yw4i8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGnunJNx_Y16G_F-yoQS4VZvpa-NA" style="font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;">Mt Everest sightseeing flights</a> after nine months. Both airlines have slashed fares for Nepali passengers on the Everest flights, and have offered a buy-one-fly-two scheme under which a passenger can take a companion in the aisle seat.  Nepalis have to pay Rs8,900 for a roundtrip Everest flight, and get another ticket for free. Yeti is offering the same for Rs8,998 for the one-hour flight that takes off and landed in Kathmandu, and takes passengers to within 20km of Mt Everest. Both airlines are conducting the flights weekly on Saturday mornings, and will increase frequency as per demand. Mountain sightseeing flights used to the main cash cow for Nepal’s domestic airlines which could charge foreign tourists up to $155 for the trips. Now, foreigners will also get a discount and pay Rs13,499 (USD113) for the flights, and like Nepalis get to take another passenger for free. In pre-pandemic days, Nepal’s airlines used to make up to 30 sightseeing flights on days with good weather over the mountains. “The pandemic has hit our revenue base, and the loss of the dollar fare on mountain flights has made it worse, we hope that by resuming the flights even partially will revive interest on one of the most spectacular flights in the world,” said Buddha Air’s Rupesh Joshi. Domestic airlines which <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-domestic-flights-resume/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-domestic-flights-resume/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGFo_TgDtijQs0gdgV5lQNzuI0S5Q">resumed operations on 20 September </a>are flying trunk routes at up to 50% discount for Nepali passengers following safety protocols.

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Nepal-India flights may resume soon

<figure><img width="1620" height="1028" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181140/636be6189c7e80680e087788jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photos: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>There are signs that after nine months of stoppage due to the pandemic, flights between Kathmandu and Indian cities are set to resume.The Cabinet last week approved a Ministry of Tourism proposal to allow all flights to all destinations as per the pre-pandemic schedules. The Ministry, for its part, has instructed the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to begin the process of restarting the flights.“The government has decided to allow all flights to resume, and we are now starting the necessary preparations to resume flights between India and Bangladesh initially,” Ministry of Tourism spokesperson Kamal Prasad Bhattarai told Nepali Times. The prospect for the resumption of flights is looking better after a thaw in relations between India and Nepal which had been strained by the border dispute over Lipu Lekh. There was a slew of high level visits by Indian officials in November, with the latest one last week by India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.In addition, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali is scheduled to visit New Delhi on 15 December for bilateral talks that are expected to bring Indo-Nepal relations to a more even keel. “It will look odd if Minister Gyawali flies from Kathmandu to New Delhi and back when there are no scheduled flights between the two cities,” said a senior executive at Nepal Airlines. Tens of thousands of Nepali businessmen, students, families and those seeking medical treatment have been stranded in India for months, as have Indians in Nepal.Commentators have pointed out the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-baffling-ban-on-india-flights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-baffling-ban-on-india-flights/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF4YAORCYxMdNHo98G3ag2BiAoMDw">absurdity of the absence of flights</a> between the two countries when air connections from Kathmandu are almost back to normal to other overseas destinations, and both India and Nepal allow unlimited domestic flights. Besides, they say thousands of nationals of both countries are crossing the land border between the two countries even though travel at official checkpoints are still supposed to be restricted.  <figure><img width="1496" height="1038" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181140/636be61b9c7e80680e087789jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>In August, India had proposed a ‘travel bubble’ with Nepal as it has with 20 other countries, including Bangladesh and Bhutan. The arrangement has allowed Bhutan’s Druk Air, for example to restart flights Paro-New Delhi. However, there was no response from the Nepal government to the proposal. Observers blamed this on strained relations between the two countries, as well as India’s delay in granting more air routes in addition to the existing two entry points for flights descending into Kathmandu through Indian air space.  The Ministry of Tourism has also been pushing for reopening India flights because the state-owned carrier Nepal Airlines is in deep financial crisis due to under-utilisation of its Airbus fleet. There <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF3chYwaXnaT1l80LstSw9e9qGFFw">used to be up to 60 flights a week</a> between Indian cities and Kathmandu, of which Nepal Airlines flew weekly 18. The losses for the airline have been particularly heavy because of the inability to fly the money-spinning Kathmandu-Delhi route. Flights to and from Kathmandu airport were stopped on 24 March when Nepal went into complete lockdown. Although some <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/repatriation-regular-flights-to-nepal-to-resume/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/repatriation-regular-flights-to-nepal-to-resume/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEjOwfiNdFT7zTk3XrcD_KmL53Xhw">repatriation charter flights </a>were allowed, Nepal remained cut off from India. Even when the ban on regular flights was <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/unlimited-flights-to-nepal-from-17-october/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/unlimited-flights-to-nepal-from-17-october/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHfFKKcRE5Tedvf3Cf23ChQ2QRutA">partially lifted on 1 October</a>, Indian and Nepali airlines were not allowed to operate to and from Indian cities to Kathmandu. Despite the optimism, some say that flights are not likely until 1 January, when India is set to allow all regular international flights to its cities. At present only repatriation flights and some 'air bubble' regular flights are allowed on international routes from Indian cities.  The Nepal government allowed foreigners, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/trekkers-welcome-in-nepal-but-conditions-apply/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/trekkers-welcome-in-nepal-but-conditions-apply/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFUeqKDI0iYxQywZnm1zOZ-EqNiGQ">but only trekkers and mountaineers</a>, to visit Nepal from 17 October, but the resurgence of Covid-19 in Nepal, India and Europe has meant that there are not so many foreign passengers. Airlines that have resumed flights to Tokyo, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, the Gulf cities and Istanbul have done so with reduced frequency, and mostly carry Nepali families or migrant workers.   There has been a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/everest-trek-closed-open-closed-open-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/everest-trek-closed-open-closed-open-again/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH-pfaOkifP9PaiUme84imZ2HVC9Q">trickle of trekkers</a> coming to Nepal, but they have to spend a week in quarantine in Kathmandu and need a PCR negative test before they can head off to the mountains. However, the Ministry of Tourism is said to be pressing the government to open Nepal to all foreigners in time for the Christmas New Year holidays. Before the Covid-19 crisis, Kathmandu airport used to handle an average of 80 international flights a day, which has come down to only about 20 now. Sixteen international carriers and Nepal Airlines currently operate flights to and from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Doha, Kuwait, Muscat, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Istanbul, Narita, Seoul and Bangkok.  “The next step is for CAAN to approach the Indian civil aviation authorities to request for slots, and then coordinate the timetables, we do not yet know how many flights per day there will be,” explained CAAN spokesperson Rajkumar Chhetri. So far India’s Indigo and Nepal’s private carrier Shree Airlines have been flying occasional charter and cargo flights between Kathmandu and Kolkata and Delhi.  Meanwhile, domestic flights in Nepal are back to 75% of pre-Covid levels. Nepal’s domestic carriers Yeti Airlines and Buddha Air have also restarted their <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14313#.X8Yw4i8RoWo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D14313%23.X8Yw4i8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGnunJNx_Y16G_F-yoQS4VZvpa-NA" style="font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;">Mt Everest sightseeing flights</a> after nine months. Both airlines have slashed fares for Nepali passengers on the Everest flights, and have offered a buy-one-fly-two scheme under which a passenger can take a companion in the aisle seat.  Nepalis have to pay Rs8,900 for a roundtrip Everest flight, and get another ticket for free. Yeti is offering the same for Rs8,998 for the one-hour flight that takes off and landed in Kathmandu, and takes passengers to within 20km of Mt Everest. Both airlines are conducting the flights weekly on Saturday mornings, and will increase frequency as per demand. Mountain sightseeing flights used to the main cash cow for Nepal’s domestic airlines which could charge foreign tourists up to $155 for the trips. Now, foreigners will also get a discount and pay Rs13,499 (USD113) for the flights, and like Nepalis get to take another passenger for free. In pre-pandemic days, Nepal’s airlines used to make up to 30 sightseeing flights on days with good weather over the mountains. “The pandemic has hit our revenue base, and the loss of the dollar fare on mountain flights has made it worse, we hope that by resuming the flights even partially will revive interest on one of the most spectacular flights in the world,” said Buddha Air’s Rupesh Joshi. Domestic airlines which <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-domestic-flights-resume/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-domestic-flights-resume/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1606911052484000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGFo_TgDtijQs0gdgV5lQNzuI0S5Q">resumed operations on 20 September </a>are flying trunk routes at up to 50% discount for Nepali passengers following safety protocols.

<figure><img width="1824" height="1368" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb8e9c7e80680e0802cfjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>After eight months, non-Nepalis were finally allowed to fly to Kathmandu from 17 October, but with two bizarre exceptions: flights from Indian cities are still banned, and only foreign trekkers and mountaineers are allowed into Nepal. While the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has lifted passenger restrictions at Kathmandu airport, and international airlines have added services to meet the Dasain peak, flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru are still not permitted.Foreigners can now travel to Nepal, but only if they want to go trekking or climb a Himalayan mountain. Foreign passport holders who want to reunite with families, visit friends, join meditation classes, or just want to chill out in Kathmandu or Pokhara, are mysteriously still banned. Neither CAAN nor the government have given any official explanation about why flights to and from India are still not allowed, although ministers have privately said that it is because of the pandemic peak in India. However, the total new cases in India have started going down, while Covid-19 cases and fatalities are rising in Nepal – Wednesday saw highest daily death tally reach 26. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/trekkers-welcome-in-nepal-but-conditions-apply/">Trekkers welcome in Nepal, but conditions apply</a>, Nepali TimesThe India flight restrictions are all the more absurd because people have been travelling to and fro across the India-Nepal land border without tests or quarantines, whereas air passengers would need a mandatory PCR negative certificate before boarding, and quarantine at home for a week after landing in Kathmandu.The Indian authorities had proposed an ‘air bubble’ with Nepal two months ago to allow nationals of both countries to travel back and forth, but there has been no response from officials in Nepal. Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai and Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra met on 11 October, but not much was disclosed.Bhattarai, who was not wearing a mask during the meeting, tested positive for Covid-19 the very next day. Kwatra was quoted as saying that he raised the issue of resumption of Nepal-India flights, while the Nepali side said the discussions were only about new India-Nepal air routes for the international airport at Bhairawa, as well as two-way flights on the L626 airway corridor via Mahendranagar.There is speculation that the Prime Minister’s Office may be holding back permission for India flights as a bargaining tool to extract Indian concessions on air routes. However, by not allowing flights, it is Nepalis who are affected more. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/unlimited-flights-to-nepal-from-17-october/">Unlimited flights to Nepal from 1 October</a>, Nepali Times <figure><img width="1618" height="944" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb929c7e80680e0802d0jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Photo: NEPAL TOURISM BOARD</figcaption></figure>There are tens of thousands of Nepalis working in India, students and those who had gone for medical treatment who have been stranded there for months. While Nepalis from North America, Europe and Australia have flown home since July, Nepalis have not been able to travel back from a next-door country. Flights connecting Kathmandu to Chinese cities like Lhasa, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Hong Kong are operating.Although foreign climbers and trekkers have been allowed to fly to Kathmandu, Nepal’s travel trade is not at all enthused. It is too late in the season for mountaineering expeditions and most treks. Besides, tourists  must have extra $5,000 worth of insurance, and have to spend a week in hotel quarantine in Kathmandu.Although the Everest, Langtang and Rolwaling trails are open, Mustang and Manang districts have decided to seal off their areas till February 2021. For all those reasons, even visitors who were determined to trek in Nepal this autumn have cancelled reservations, agencies say.“Tourists were not about to flood into Nepal. Yet, despite everything, there are still some who want to trek. But instead of making it easier for them, we have made confusing rules and put every possible obstacle in their way,” says travel entrepreneur Rajendra Sapkota.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/hiking-in-the-himalaya-during-covid-19/">Hiking in the Himalaya during Covid-19?</a> Nepali Times <figure><img width="1364" height="698" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb959c7e80680e0802d1jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai and Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra met on 11 October in Kathmandu. Photo: Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism</figcaption></figure>Foreigners visiting Nepal need a letter from a trekking or mountaineering agency, which many say opens up the possibility of visitors being forced to get a trekking permit just to enter Nepal, even though they have no intention of hiking in the Himalaya.“Since trekking and mountaineering are wilderness destinations, there is no point detaining negative tested tourists in Kathmandu, we should make it as easy as possible for them to get an immediate test, and head off to the mountains after landing in Kathmandu,” says the former chair of Nepal Tourism Board, Deepak Raj Joshi. The seven day quarantine is also seen as making no sense, since visitors are required to arrive with PCR negative reports. If they are trekking on the Everest trail, they need another PCR negative report before flying out to Lukla.“On the one hand we are telling the world Nepal is open to tourism, but on the other we are discouraging them with these absurd rules,” says Nabaraj Dahal, former head of the Trekking Agents’ Association of Nepal (TAAN).Instead of sending a positive message, government agencies appear to be working at cross purposes, telling foreigners they will be sent back from Kathmandu airport if they do not have proper papers.“The rule is that only trekking and mountaineering tourists are allowed, and they need a letter from the Nepal Tourism Board or ministry. Anyone else arriving without proper papers will be sent back,” stated Ramesh KC, Director General of the Immigration Department. The result of such irrational deterrence is already evident in the figures for arrivals. Since opening up to foreigners on 17 October, only two trekking groups and 24 non-Nepalis have arrived at Kathmandu airport.After angry complaints from tourism entrepreneurs, the Ministry of Tourism has recommended to the government to ease the restrictions, according to spokesperson Kamal Bhattarai. The delay in deciding about India flights and foreigner arrivals is largely due to the transfer of Ishwar Pokhrel, the defence minister who headed the Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee (CCMC).There is now no one in government coordinating pandemic-related policy. As it is, the CCMC was at loggerheads with other ministries for the past four months, often issuing contradictory and confusing decisions.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/landing-in-kathmandu-is-only-half-the-story/">Landing in Kathmandu is only half the story</a>, Nepali Times

Nepal’s baffling ban on India flights

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109151116/636bb6679c7e80680e07bc5djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1221" height="742"/><figcaption>Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAN) announced on Sunday that it will allow international carriers to resume an unlimited number of flights from 1 October.Since some flights were <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-allows-limited-international-flights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">allowed to resume on 1 September</a>, there was a cap of only 1,600 passengers allowed to land in Kathmandu every day because of the need to avoid over-crowding, and for physical separation at the arrival and departure terminals.The decision to lift restrictions appears to follow a rise in demand from Nepali families coming home for the Dasain-Tihar-Chhat festivals, as well bookings from tourists who want to take advantage of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-open-for-trekking-from-17-october/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reopening of trekking and mountaineering after 17 October</a>.“We have been able to cope with the present volume of passengers, and although it will be challenging, we are confident that we can handle the greater numbers at <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-airport-gets-facelift-during-lockdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kathmandu airport</a>,” said Devendra KC of Tribhuvan International Airport.Normally 30 airlines used to fly 53 international flights daily from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/landing-in-kathmandu-is-only-half-the-story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kathmandu airport</a> to 32 destinations in the region and beyond. Since 1 September 14 airlines had been allowed to operate only 14 flights a day.“We want to send the message that Nepal is returning to normal,” CAAN’s Rajan Pokhrel said.However, the move comes even as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/covid-19-lessons-for-kathmandu-from-the-tarai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kathmandu Valley has been seeing a surge</a> with 802 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, and three deaths. The number of cases in Nepal has crossed 73,000 with 477 deaths due to the novel coronavirus.In addition, there is still confusion about the conditions in which foreign nationals will be allowed from 17 October. Travel trade executives say the two-week quarantine requirement on arrival is impractical if the visitors arrive with RT PCR negative reports, and they also want visa on arrival to resume.“We have been asking the government to reduce the hotel quarantine time for visitors to three days,” said Achyut Guragain of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA). “After all, returning Nepalis are allowed to go home immediately if they have PCR negative reports.”There is still no word on whether flights to and from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/india-and-nepal-in-covid-19-crisis-together/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">India</a> will also be allowed from 1 October.  Tens of thousands of Nepali students, families and patients who had gone to India for treatment have been stuck there for six months. Thai International has also not announced a resumption of its daily flights to Bangkok.Turkish Airlines has already opened online reservations for three flights a week Istanbul-Kathmandu from 3 October, while Korean Air, Dragon Air, Etihad Airways, Fly Dubai, Oman Air and Malaysia Airlines are going back to their normal frequency from 1 October. Qatar Airways has already started twice daily flights Doha-Kathmandu.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109151116/636bb66a9c7e80680e07bc5ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"><figcaption>Photo: BIKRAM RAI</figcaption></figure>Nepal’s domestic airlines have also reported high suppressed demand from travellers since they <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-domestic-flights-resume/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">resumed flights last week</a>.Meanwhile, CAAN has been embroiled in a controversy after it allowed Himalaya Airlines ‘self-ground handling’ facilities at Kathmandu airport. At present Nepal Airlines does most ground-handling including check-in, baggage and ramp transport. Air India and Thai International are the only two carriers allowed to have their own ground services.Himalaya Airlines is a joint venture between Yeti Airlines and China’s Tibet Airlines, and CAAN’s announcement was denounced by a Nepal Airlines union as being “anti-national”.After political pressure, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai on Sunday summoned CAAN’s Pokhrel and instructed him not to implement the decision. In addition, he also ordered the cancellation of the special privilege given to Air India and Thai.

Unlimited flights to Nepal from 1 October

<figure><img width="1274" height="843" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb4169c7e80680e07bb82jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Faced with criticism from migrant workers and Nepal’s embassies abroad for allowing only a limited daily quota of passengers to fly into Kathmandu, the government is letting airlines increase flights to meet passenger demand.Jobless Nepali workers stranded in Saudi Arabia for the past six months <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-in-saudi-arabia-stage-protest/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-in-saudi-arabia-stage-protest/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394566000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHVzQfNtiXa129YrpqmIHNtsHrcJg">demonstrated this week in their camps</a> demanding that they be allowed home. The quota for repatriation flights had come under fire for being inadequate, impractical and driving up airfares by up to five times.“As long as passengers have PCR negative reports, airlines will be allowed to conduct any number of flights, but the passengers will have to stay for two weeks in home quarantine,” Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Yogesh Bhattarai said in an interview on Thursday.On 1 September, the government had allowed 10 international airlines to restart limited regular flights as well as repatriation flights from the Gulf and Malaysia stipulating that only 500 passengers would be allowed daily because of physical separation requirements at the airport. It increased that number to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394566000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF0MjYgBmo206-6-6xETJ2KJm0rOg">800 this week. </a>Bhattarai said the daily quota for arriving passengers would now be raised up to 3,000.However, only Nepali passengers and representatives of embassies and international agencies and their families are allowed to fly to Kathmandu for the time being. No tourists are allowed, and there is still no decision on flights to and from Indian cities, where thousands of Nepalis are stranded, even though people can cross the land border from India.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlIxeirVfycMinister Bhattarai also did not explain why passengers arriving with PCR negative reports still had to spend six hours or more at holding centres in Kathmandu before being allowed to go home for self-isolation. 
Some 80,000 Nepali workers have flown back from the Gulf and Malaysia since <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/after-10-weeks-first-overseas-nepalis-repatriated/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/after-10-weeks-first-overseas-nepalis-repatriated/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394567000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEbXMiJZvQPYeNjvRSvmCKvD2Ad8g">repatriation flights began in mid-June</a>, but there are still about 100,000 workers waiting to return. Nepali workers who were on vacation when the lockdown went into effect are also waiting to fly out.  
In addition, there are also Nepalis in Europe, North America, Australia and Japan who are waiting for cheaper flights back.
The move follows heavy criticism that the government was not allowing <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/to-many-stranded-nepalis-not-enough-flights/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/to-many-stranded-nepalis-not-enough-flights/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394567000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGxrvrn8yga9TIHSOMFf4gArqrd7w">repatriation flights</a> even for Nepali workers whose employers were paying for fares, and for governments like the UAE and Kuwait which have offered to fly back Nepalis for free.
The government is also getting the Labour Ministry and embassies to strengthen coordination and expedite the repatriation of stranded workers who need support for their return using the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/brokers-going-for-broke/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/brokers-going-for-broke/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599881394567000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG7BGm87RU8uNuImfZSqxXgW0wifw">Foreign Employment Welfare Fund.</a>
Minister Bhattarai told a webinar organised by the Society of Economic Journalists of Nepal (SEJON) that the government was preparing to allow domestic flights from 1 October. The government has twice postponed the resumption of domestic flights after a surge in Covid-19 cases since mid-June.
Bhattarai also said the government was trying to promote domestic tourism to compensate for the lack of tourist arrivals. The government was thinking of announcing two-day weekends so Nepalis are encouraged to travel within the country, he added.

Nepal to lift quota on flights

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3ed9c7e80680e07bb72jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365"/><figcaption>Signs for seven provinces at Kathmandu airport. All photos: BIKRAM RAI</figcaption></figure>The jumbled up signs for seven provinces at Kathmandu airport is symbolic of the shambles things in Nepal are in. Nearly<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/24-march-24-august-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> half-a-year of lockdown later</a>, there are still 150,000 Nepali workers overseas waiting to return. Some of those who came back from India have now started going back because they could not find jobs.Although <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/flights-to-nepal-limited-by-airport-capacity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">limited scheduled flights</a> have started, returning Nepalis still have to inexplicably wait for up to 7 hours at holding centres even if they have PCR negative reports. Hygiene precautions at the airport are rudimentary.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3f19c7e80680e07bb73jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>As public pressure builds up, the government on Wednesday loosened up on some of the restrictions even though Kathmandu Valley is still recording a surge in cases. On Thursday there were new 572 coronavirus cases in the Valley, out of 1,246 for the rest of the country. Five more fatalities were recorded nationwide, three of them in Kathmandu Valley.After <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-lockdown-2-0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">three weeks of restrictions</a>, instead of bringing down the cases in Kathmandu Valley saw an increase – meaning the virus is spreading within families and communities. But economic desperation had increased public pressure to relax some of the rules.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/nepals-leaders-are-in-isolation/">Nepal's leaders are in isolation</a>, Editorial<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3f49c7e80680e07bb74jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">The government’s strategy seems to be to loosen up some more after 17 September, allow long-distance buses and domestic airlines to resume to allow people to go to their districts for the festival season. And if there is another spike, they may lock down the Valley again over Dasain, which this year is 23-28 October. If needed, officials have hinted they can then deploy the military at checkpoints so the Valley is isolated from the rest of the country.The new rules that went into effect on Thursday are so complicated that even police enforcing them are confused about what is allowed on which days.From Thursday, provision shops were allowed to be open from 5-11AM, and 5-7PM. Department stores, shopping malls and other shops can open Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Garment stores, furniture shops, and garages are open on other days of the week, while restaurants can provide takeaways from 12-7pm. Taxis and motorcycles are back on the roads. Bigger capacity buses are allowed, but there were few on the road Thursday because many preferred not to get on them.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/confusion-persists-about-lockdown-rules/">Confusion persists about lockdown rules</a>, Alisha Sijapati<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb3f89c7e80680e07bb75jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">Detailed do’s and don’ts have also been issued, but somewhat ambiguously, the directive also states that ‘services similar to the above’ will also be allowed. Experts have also questioned how wise it is to limit opening time for shops because it could lead to overcrowding.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/24-march-24-august-2020/">24 March - 24 August</a>, Alisha Sijapati

Lockdown eased in Kathmandu

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb2899c7e80680e07baebjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1366"/><figcaption>All photos; BIKRAM RAI</figcaption></figure>On 1 September, the first day that the Nepal government reopened regular flights after nearly six months, there were no scheduled flights – all four were chartered <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/repatriation-regular-flights-to-nepal-to-resume/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">repatriation flights</a>.Nepal Airlines operated flights from Doha and Kuwait, and the private Himalaya Airlines flew in stranded Nepali workers from Doha, with one more cargo flight from Kunming. Doha, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are three countries to and from which regular flights are not yet allowed because of the difficulty for Nepali workers to get PCR tests before boarding.However, airlines are expected to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-to-open-regular-flights-from-1-september/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">start operating regular flights</a> from countries where PCR tests are easily available this week with limited frequency, destinations and passengers. A Nepal Airlines Airbus will leave on its first regular flight since March to Tokyo Narita just after midnight on 1 September.Nepal Airlines will be operating two more flights to and from Narita this month, as well as four to Kuala Lumpur and Dubai. Altogether there will be 14 flights during September to and from Kuala Lumpur by Nepal Airlines, Himalaya, Malindo and Malaysia Airlines.Most other airlines are flying once a week with limited passenger loads to comply with the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) limit on the number of arriving passengers. Earlier, CAAN had set a limit of 500 passengers a day, but has now increased it to 800, which includes chartered flights.International Airlines operating limited scheduled flights are Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Oman Air, Fly Dubai, Malaysia Airlines, Dragon Air, China Southern and Air China. Permission has not yet been given for flights from Indian cities because of the<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/as-india-peaks-covid-19-spreads-rapidly-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> continuing rise in the number of Covid-19 cases </a>there, airlines sources said.So far, the government is allowing only Nepalis, diplomats, aid agency officials and their families to fly to Kathmandu on these flights. They will all need RT PCR negative reports done only 72 hours before their flights, and they will have to stay for seven days in home isolation (for Nepalis) and hotel quarantine (for foreigners).An exception has been made for a 13-member <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-allows-royal-himalayan-expedition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bahraini mountaineering expedition to Manaslu</a> that includes three Britons – the only tourists allowed into Nepal so far this season.There were 262 Nepali workers arriving on two flights from Doha on Tuesday, and they were taken province-wise from the airport to their designated holding centres by the Nepal Army to await results of their PCR tests. If negative, they will be allowed to go home and self-quarantine for 14 days.The restriction on passenger capacity and frequency means that the cost of tickets to and from many destinations are much higher than pre-lockdown fares.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb28c9c7e80680e07baecjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb2909c7e80680e07baedjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb2939c7e80680e07baeejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb2969c7e80680e07baefjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb2999c7e80680e07baf0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915110/636bb29c9c7e80680e07baf1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>All photos: BIKRAM RAI

Nepal allows limited international flights

<figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141112/636ba7979c7e80680e073791jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Sunrise near Phaplu in Solu Khumbu after snowfall in January just before Nepal was closed off for tourists. Photo: MANISH PAUDEL</figcaption></figure>It was Nepal’s misfortune that all the expensive preparations for Visit Nepal 2020, during which the country hoped to attract a record 2 million visitors, have gone to waste because of the Covid-19 crisis.For five months now, regular international domestic flights have been grounded. Kathmandu airport is scheduled to reopen for limited regular flights next week, but may not be fully operational at least till early next year. Trekking trails are all empty and there were no crowds on the south side of Mt Everest this spring.  Nepal's tourism industry is on the brink of collapse. Some restaurants and bars that opened after <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-ends-covid-19-lockdown/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-ends-covid-19-lockdown/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1598512923471000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEFP_JaB7l768pJRgj8d9vpfYy-PA">the 21 July easing</a> are closed again. Some hotels are getting business from being turned into quarantine centres, but trekking and mountaineering agencies, airlines, tourist bus companies, cable car operators, safari resorts, handicraft vendors are all on <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-lockdown-2-0/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandu-lockdown-2-0/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1598512923471000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGEgNdzpWtmmVT4LLBmDGD8sIrA-A">the brink of collapse</a>."Hotels have been very badly hit, and business is expected to shrink from 7.33% growth to a startling negative 16.3% decline in 2019/2020," says Shreejana Rana, president of the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN). Most hotels are keeping staff with reduced pay, but 25% of employees have been laid off.With more than $700 million in annual earnings, tourism makes up an equivalent of 8% of Nepal’s GDP. It employs 500,000 people directly just in trekking and mountaineering, with 2 million others benefiting from tourism indirectly. For the government, there is a loss of revenue from taxes, mountain climbing fees, and national parks have lost income they used to plough into conservation work.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-prepares-for-economic-fallout-of-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal prepares for economic fallout of pandemic</a>, Kaustubh DhitalNepal’s domestic airlines used to charge foreigners higher ‘dollar fares’ than locals, and it made up to 40% of the revenue for airlines like Tara Air with which they used to subsidise Nepalis flying to remote areas. The Tourism Ministry announced this week that it was scrapping the two-tier fares, enraging airline operators who are already reeling from the five-month lockdown.  Yankila Sherpa, former Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, is now managing director of Snow Leopard Trek which specialises in high-value treks for 300 clients per year from the US, Europe and Southeast Asia. “We have had to lay off all our field staff,” Sherpa says. <figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141112/636ba79a9c7e80680e073792jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Deserted Kathmandu airport. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>Some 15% of the 1.2 million tourists who visited Nepal last year said they were going on treks or mountaineering expeditions. Porters, cooks and trekking staff lost out in the spring season. Many who used to then go to Ladakh during the monsoon to work on treks there could not this year. And now it looks like the autumn season is nixed as well.But it need not be like this. Some companies involved in trekking say it makes no sense to close off trekking and mountaineering if other visitors are being allowed from 1 September.“They have to get PCR negative tests before getting on a plane anyway, why not let tourists come and go up to the mountains? OK, if you want, give them another PCR test here and get them to quarantine for a few days in Kathmandu,” says one international tourism operative.   Yankila Sherpa agrees: “Nepal’s mountains are the safest places in the world right now, and people long to return. I am confident that tourism will resume in a different way.”For now, Ministry of Tourism projects that Nepal stands to lose at least $400 million this year from visitors. But in terms of jobs and livelihoods, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/economic-cost-of-5-months-of-nepal-lockdown/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/economic-cost-of-5-months-of-nepal-lockdown/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1598512923471000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHwsye4UuM6shUcpBbVhuqhLv6EQg">loss is incalculable</a>. And it affects downstream sectors like construction and the products needed for it like cement, steel rods, fixtures, plumbing, wiring, transportation.   Dhruba Kumar Subedi of Koshi Tours and Travels, explains, "The tourism industry actually benefitted a whole range of businesses from construction of new hotels and infrastructure, agriculture, poultry farming, laundry services. So, the economic cost of Covid-19 will be disastrous and multi-sectoral."Nepal had been gearing up for Visit Nepal 2020 all of last year with promotional campaigns in European, Indian and Chinese markets.The drive was kicked off amidst huge fanfare on 1 January, 2020 at the Dasrath Stadium in Kathmandu with helicopter fly pasts.The NVY 2020 secretariat organised other lavish events such as a fashion runway at Kala Pattar below Mt Everest, ice-skating in Gokyo, and commissioned artists to paint huge fiberglass yetis and placed them at key locations in Kathmandu. However, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/love-it-or-hate-it-its-abominable/">the campaign was criticised</a> for not focusing on promotions in source countries for tourism, and even because some of the painted yetis hurting religious sentiments.   <figure><img width="800" height="673" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141112/636ba79e9c7e80680e073793jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Ice skating in Gokyo.</figcaption></figure><figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141112/636ba7a09c7e80680e073794jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>The Visit Nepal 2020 yeti mascot was met with criticism and some outrage. Photo: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>The campaign had a budget of Rs650 million, and aimed to nearly double the number of tourists in 2020. As the pandemic spread across China and Europe, it was <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/lets-call-off-visit-nepal-year-2020/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/lets-call-off-visit-nepal-year-2020/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1598512923471000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEwELZQ61LUL1hnskjmBHTuU3pI_g">officially called off in March</a>. Some of the yetis are still around, and Nepal Airlines still carries the Visit Nepal 2020 logo emblazoned on the sides of its Airbuses that have become like parodies.The pandemic affected many mountaineering expeditions, including ones to Mt Everest, that had to abandon their climbs halfway. International conferences on eco-tourism, climate change and the travel industry had to be cancelled.Shree Gurung of Party Nepal Event Management and Media Company, planned to take 10 YouTubers and influencers from 7 continents to Mt Everest Base Camp for a ‘World Vlogging Challenge’.“Everyone tried to come up with new perspectives to make VNY 2020 grand. Investments were made, events and expeditions were planned, but we are now in a limbo," Gurung says.Experts now fear that the Covid-19 crisis will result in another exodus of Nepal’s tourism workforce abroad, as happened during the conflict years. In fact, the impact of the pandemic on Nepal’s trekking and tourism is much worse than the war, earthquake and Blockade.With over 15% of Nepal’s population working abroad and 28<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/high-risk-remittance/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/high-risk-remittance/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1598512923471000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGILTRWMJ5ea2GtreHvtzJC_4XUZg">% of the country’s GDP made up by remittance,</a> Nepal ranks 2nd in Asia after Kazakhstan in terms of its reliance on the money sent home by its migrant workers abroad. This reliance on migration is expected to grow in the post-pandemic era.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/one-way-ticket-home-for-overseas-nepali-workers/">One-way ticket home for overseas Nepali workers</a>, Upasana Khadka <figure><img width="4032" height="3024" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141112/636ba7a49c7e80680e073795jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Phewa Lake in Pokhara awaits tourists. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>But jobs in the service and tourism sectors have collapsed even in countries where Nepalis are traditionally migrated for work. The Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies says that 10%-30% of migrant workers in the Gulf countries and Malaysia have lost their jobs. It expects about 500,000 to return to Nepal soon.But there are also opportunities hidden in this crisis. If it plays its cards right, Nepal's tourism industry could expand its workforce, and use it to serve a COVID-customised strategy. Says Shreejana Rana, "Given the international restrictions on travel and the current scenario, we don't think things will be back to normal before August 2021, so we must focus on domestic tourism.”Indeed, after being cooped up for nearly half a year, there will be pent-up demand for travel among Nepal’s urban residents. During past crises, it was Nepali visitors that kept the hotels, restaurants and bars open in Pokhara and other destinations. The travel industry is now crossing fingers that limited in-country travel will be allowed in the next month so that Nepalis will explore Nepal during the Dasain-Tihar holidays.   But Dhruba Kumar Subedi of Koshi Tours and Travels is not so optimistic. “While we do cater to international tourists, most of our business was actually from Nepali clients taking vacations during Dasain. This year, we are completely shut down."Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/survive-2020-revive-in-2021-and-thrive-in-2022/">“Survive 2020, revive in 2021 and thrive in 2022”</a>, Alisha Sijapati

Didn’t Visit Nepal Year 2020

<figure><img width="748" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141112/636ba73e9c7e80680e07376ejpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>After the outrage over the government’s abrupt cancellation of scheduled repatriation flights on 16 August, the Cabinet has announced conditions for passengers coming to Nepal on chartered and scheduled flights.According to a set of complicated new rules, scheduled passenger flights will be allowed from 1 September, but all passengers will have to bear the cost of one week of hotel quarantine in Kathmandu which will be added to their air ticket.These regular flights will also be allowed only from countries where PCR tests are easily available, and these include: Malaysia, UAE, Korea, Thailand, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Australia, United States and Canada. There is confusion because no mention is made of European countries in that list. Announcing the new rules, Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada gave no reasons why the distinction was being made for passengers from Europe, many of which countries are less affected by the pandemic at present than the United States. The Cabinet also decided that airlines cannot mix passengers with PCR negative tests and passengers without tests.Airlines coming from countries where PCR tests are not easy to get (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia) will be allowed to operate only charter flights, or the Nepal government will operate special repatriation flights from those destinations. Further, only passengers on lists provided by embassies in those countries will be allowed to board, and once in Kathmandu they will have to stay in government-designated quarantine centres for a week while they get their PCR tests. Returnees with PCR negative tests from those three countries can go directly to home self-quarantine for 14 days. All passengers will need PCR negative certificates before boarding, and the tests must have been taken only 72 hours before their flights. Hotel costs in Kathmandu will vary from Rs1,800 to Rs9,000 per day. Only Nepalis, diplomats and UN officials will be allowed to fly into Kathmandu for the time being. Arriving foreigners will not get visa on arrival, and will also have to quarantine in hotels for a week. Earlier guidelines had opened hotels and trekking, but on Friday Khatiwada made no mention of tourists being allowed in.Meanwhile, a Nepal Airlines Airbus is flying to Dubai on Monday  to bring back 266 Nepali workers who were left stranded when the plane flew back empty on Tuesday after the government banned reptriation flights while it was en route. UPDATE, 22 AUGUST: The government has added European states in the list of countries where PCR tests are available and from where passengers can take regular flights to Kathmandu.

Nepal to open regular flights from 1 September

<figure><img width="2048" height="1152" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914114/636ba5a69c7e80680e0736d7jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Foreigners and locals in Pokhara work together to clean up Phewa Lake during the lockdown. Photo: DHARMEN SINGH</figcaption></figure>During the first two months of lockdown when foreign embassies in Kathmandu were rounding up their last remaining nationals to fly home from Nepal, there were some <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/many-foreigners-stay-put-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">who refused to be repatriated</a>. They are still here, and they want to stay put.Immigration Department records show there are still 2,000 tourists who have been in Nepal since March. But over 250 of them from 50 countries have appealed through a Facebook group for the Nepal government to extend their visa permits till December.Some chose not to risk infection by travelling long-distances to go back home where conditions were sometimes much worse. Expensive repatriation flights did not help matters.  “Until now Nepal has been among the safest countries from COVID-19 crisis and it is safer to stay where people are right now,” says Australian Brett Adamek, admin of the Pokhara Noticeboard Facebook group. “Long-distance travel is daunting and dangerous especially when many tourists are elderly. If allowed to stay on, everyone is happy to pay for the extension.”Many of the foreigners staying in Nepal are not just enjoying an extended holiday, they are trying to help increase awareness about preventive measures against COVID-19, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/travellers-stuck-in-nepal-help-locals-in-need/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">raise money for feeding programs</a>, assist in charities, or help farmers with new ideas to raise productivity.In June, the Department of Immigration announced that the stranded tourists would have to pay extra visa fee for overstaying due to the pandemic. After outrage on social media, the Home Ministry <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/no-visa-fees-for-tourists-stuck-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">revised the decision</a> and said extension and overstay fees as well as fines would only be levied 15 days after the resumption of international flights.“As of now we are still going by the decision to allow 15 days after resumption of international flights for foreigners to leave the country. But we are expecting a new directive from the government in a few days,” says Madhusudan Bhattarai of the Department of Immigration. The Department itself has been sealed because a staff tested positive for COVID-19.But many of the foreigners who are located across the country from Ilam, Manang, Pokhara, Jomsom, Khumbu and Kathmandu say they want to remain in Nepal till December, and have promised to be in their best behaviour.Like Adamek, many of the foreigners who found themselves in Nepal when the flights were grounded in March, are nomads travelling around the world for years, and do not really have a ‘home country’ to get back to. Adamek himself is Australian but has been travelling across Asia for years, spending 15 years in Nepal and India. <figure><img width="720" height="499" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914114/636ba5aa9c7e80680e0736d8jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Briton Lesley D Junlakan has been in Nepal since 24 January, documenting her experience of the lockdown through photography. While she does spend five months a year in Nepal volunteering at monasteries in Kagbeni and Pokhara, this year she has not been able to go back to Thailand where she has been living since 2000.“If the government does not to allow foreigners to stay on, I will have to go to a third country because Thailand has not resumed commercial flights and I don’t want to go back to Britain where I have no home or family,” says Junlakan, who has also been supporting families of trekking guides who have no income because of the collapse of tourism.  There is also uncertainty regarding the resumption of international flights. The Cabinet on Monday concurred with the COVID-19 Crisis Management Committee recommendation that regular domestsic and international flights that were set to resume on 17 August be pushed back till 31 August. Airlines say even that date may be pushed back, and when regular flights do resume, their frequency and destinations will be reduced. Nepal Tourism Board CEO Dhananjay Regmi has advised the government to allow foreigners to stay on till December 2020, and charge them accordingly for their visa extension. At a time when even the autumn tourism season looks like it is going to be a flop, it would be logical to keep tourists who want to stay.“Many of them came for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/survive-2020-revive-in-2021-and-thrive-in-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Visit Nepal 2020</a> and they haven’t even got to experience it. The government’s positive response will also gain Nepal goodwill in the international community,” Regmi told Nepali Times, adding that he expects a positive response from the government.Andrea Anastasiou from Cyprus came to Nepal for the sixth time in late January to experience Visit Nepal 2020. Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) was on her to-do list, but the fear of COVID-19 followed by the lockdown pretty much confined her to a room in Patan."I would love the opportunity to stay on and explore more of the country given if restrictions are eased and it's safer to travel around again. I might not get to trek ABC, but a day-long hike inside the Valley would also be great," says Anastasiou.Cesar Morales (pictured right) was invited to train Nepali tennis players preparing for regional championships and for the Olympics that would have been taking place in Tokyo this week if it had not been for the pandemic. He was supposed to travel to Spain and Italy before flying home to Chicago, but has been stuck in Nepal since 13 March.Morales refused to be repatriated earlier because he did not want to risk infection while travelling long distance, and get back home to two elderly parents at a time when the pandemic was at its peak in Spain. The same reasons are still valid for US nationals stuck in Nepal.“<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-economy-already-weak-takes-direct-hit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal’s economy is struggling</a>, so allowing tourists already here to stay on would help local businesses,” adds Morales who has used his extra time in Nepal to continue training Nepali athletes six days a week in Kapan. “We can contribute not only in terms of economy but with our skills too. Allowing us to stay on will also let us help people here, which is a win-win situation.” <img width="600" height="800" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914114/636ba5ac9c7e80680e0736d9jpeg.jpg" alt="">Says Junlaken: “Most of us feel safe in Nepal and we have been doing with social distance and safety measures. Nepal government and Nepali people have been very kind to us so far and we are only asking for it to be extended for a little longer.”

international-flights

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Nepal-India flights may resume soon

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Lockdown eased in Kathmandu

Nepal allows limited international flights

Didn’t Visit Nepal Year 2020

Nepal to open regular flights from 1 September

Stranded visitors want to stay on in Nepal