Travel operators are urging travellers not to abandon Nepal following devastating flooding and landslides, warning that cancellations to unaffected regions could inflict further damage on communities heavily reliant on tourism.<\/strong><\/p>\n World Expeditions CEO Sue Badyari said the scale of the disaster was unlike the seasonal flooding and landslides Nepal typically experiences during its monsoon.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was completely unprecedented,\u201d Badyari told Travel Weekly.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe scale of this has never been seen before.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Badyari stressed that the devastation has been concentrated in a particular corridor and that many of Nepal\u2019s major tourism regions remain unaffected.<\/p>\n \u201cPlaces like the Everest area, Annapurna, Manaslu [and] Mustang\u2026 they are all open, and the autumn season has really started well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Kathmandu was also avoided by the disaster, Badyari said, with the airport and services in the capital continuing to operate as normal.<\/p>\n With Nepal now entering its peak trekking season, Badyari said staying away from unaffected regions could have unintended consequences for communities dependent on tourism.<\/p>\n \u201cContinuing to travel to the unaffected regions of Nepal really, though, is the most useful thing that a visitor can do right now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cTourism supports such a huge amount of Nepal\u2019s community \u2013 the guides, porters, the lodge owners, drivers, families across the country \u2013 and any cancellations really just hurt those people.\u201d<\/p>\n Intrepid Travel has echoed the call, saying tourism has an important role to play in Nepal\u2019s recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cThe recent flooding and landslides have had a significant impact on many local communities, but there is also an important role for tourism to play in the country\u2019s recovery,\u201d Yalamber Rai, general manager Nepal at Intrepid Travel, said.<\/p>\n \u201cMany parts of Nepal remain open to travellers, and where it is safe to operate, our trips are continuing.\u201d<\/p>\n Intrepid said none of its groups were in the affected areas at the time of the incident and its local teams have been monitoring conditions and adapting itineraries where necessary.<\/p>\n The operator has made precautionary changes to some trips, including replacing white-water rafting with alternative activities on selected departures and using alternative road routes between Kathmandu and Pokhara where required.<\/p>\n \u201cFor travellers considering Nepal, we want people to know that the country remains a welcoming destination and that travelling responsibly can be part of supporting its recovery,\u201d Rai said.<\/p>\n \u201cTourism provides vital income for guides, porters, hotels, lodges, drivers, restaurants and many other local businesses, so choosing to travel, stay locally and spend with local businesses can have a direct and positive impact on communities.\u201d<\/p>\n Rai advised travellers to stay informed, monitor government travel advice and ensure they have appropriate travel insurance.<\/p>\n \u201cRecovery will take time, but responsible tourism can play an important role in helping communities rebuild, while giving travellers the opportunity to experience the country and support the people who make it so special,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n While many of Nepal\u2019s best-known tourism regions remain open, Badyari said the impact on the Nepal-Tibet border region was significant.<\/p>\n The disaster destroyed a major border crossing between Nepal and Tibet, disrupting a route used by thousands of pilgrims and travellers.<\/p>\n \u201cThat border is completely obliterated. It\u2019s gone,\u201d Badyari said.<\/p>\n \u201cCurrently there is no way to get from Nepal into Tibet other than flying or coming in via China.\u201d<\/p>\n She said the impact on Tibetan tourism businesses had received comparatively little attention.<\/p>\n \u201cThe impact on Tibetan families and businesses, which gets far less attention, is also very real because tourism is such a vital source of income for Tibetans as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Badyari also said World Expeditions was already adjusting its Nepal program as changing weather patterns push the monsoon season later.<\/p>\n \u201cThe monsoon is going probably two weeks later,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt used to really be quite clear cut. Middle of September, it finished, but [it\u2019s] pushing into later September.\u201d<\/p>\n World Expeditions is consequently moving departures later and generally avoiding trekking trips until very late September, outside areas that sit within Nepal\u2019s rain shadow.<\/p>\n Badyari said October was now the real beginning of Nepal\u2019s peak trekking season.<\/p>\n Despite the devastation experienced by affected communities, her message from World Expeditions\u2019 teams on the ground was simple.<\/p>\n \u201cCome with enthusiasm. The people are really excited that people are still coming,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been up there for 45 years operating, and we\u2019ve got a lot of guides and porters and cooks and drivers, and they\u2019re all [of] the same sentiment: please don\u2019t hesitate to come to Nepal at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n kabarsula SLOT <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Travel operators are urging travellers not to abandon Nepal following devastating flooding and landslides, warning…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kabarsula"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/travelweekly.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/iStock-488442672.jpg\"\/)
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Intrepid: Tourism can support recovery<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\u2018That border is completely obliterated\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Tourism seasons are shifting<\/strong><\/h2>\n