(TibetanReview.net, Dec02’24) –Nepal has been seeing a continuous decline in tourist arrivals from India and one of the key reasons is China’s stoppage of Indian entry to Tibet for the Kailash-Manasarovar pilgrimage, reported the kathmandupost.com Dec 2, citing Nepal Tourism Board officials. The other two main reasons are stated to be the recent spate of bus and air crashes and rising airfares.
Mt Kailash is the abode of the Hindu God Lord Shiva and also holds great importance for Tibetan Buddhists, Jains, and Bon religious followers.
Beijing is not allowing Indian citizens to enter Tibet to visit the holy Mt Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, even after it has opened all its borders, the report noted.
This is despite the fact that in May, Kathmandu and Beijing jointly declared the reopening of all 14 traditional border trading points between Nepal and Tibet, allowing the movement of people and trade.
Beijing has imposed restrictions, especially on Indian pilgrims wanting to enter Tibet from Nepal, which many say is the fallout of the growing India-China geopolitical rivalry, the report noted.
The border was closed for four years, initially due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In Nepal, it ruined the multi million-dollar business of scores of hotels, tour operators, porters, and helicopter and airline companies,” Basu Adhikari, the Touch Kailash Travel and Treks managing director, has said.
Around 60,000 tourists from India used to visit Kailash-Manasarovar through Nepal, particularly through the Hilsa border, before the Covid pandemic.
The season for this pilgrimage starts in April and lasts until October. Mid-June to early September is monsoon season in Tibet, but it is the peak season and the most expensive period to travel there, the report said.
“Kailash Manasarovar Yatra is one of the most lucrative tour packages for Nepali tour operators. The annual pilgrimage season would be a boom time for the tourism industry, and the government would also see increased tax revenue,” Adhikari has said.