Nepal Tourism Hit As Visitor Numbers Drop

Nepal Arrivals Fall By 12 per-cent

Nepal tourist arrivals by air have dropped by 12.79 per-cent in the wake of worries about safety and in the wake ofthe hijacking of an Air India plane flying from Kathmandu late last year.

Since some 86 per-cent of visitors arrive by air, this is a extremely worrying trend for Nepal's heavily tourist-dependant economy. Other reasons cited are the increasing pollution of the Kathamandu valley, but the main cause seems to be a 32 per-cent drop in arrivals from India. Hardly surprising given that Indian Airlines suspended flights to Nepal after the highjacking incident. For the full story on Zulusport click here.

Possible Peace Talks With Maoist Rebels

The BBC is reporting that the Nepali authorities have announced that Maoist rebels appear willing to suspend violence and start peace talks with the government, although the negotiations are conditional on the authorities revealing the fate of Maoist workers who have 'disappeared' while in police custody.

So far the violence, which began in 1996, has had little effect on major trekking areas, being concentrated in the west of the country (see link to previous article below) although Maoist inspired strikes haev paralysed Kathmandu on several occasions. The more concilliatory stance from the rebels is being attributed to a stepping up of Government security measures and the possibility that the army might become involved.

An excellent source for current news from Nepal is the Nepal News web site which carries extracts from local media.