BY Tamish Giri

More than 148,000 tourists visited Chitwan National Park over the past six months of the current fiscal year. The footfall, which included both domestic and international visitors, contributed revenue of more than Rs 140 million for the national park. One interesting fact about the visitor numbers is that the national park - the oldest protected area in the country - saw the footfall of Indian nationals like never before. 

Mani Raj Lamichhane, director of NTB, said that since Chitwan National Park is the closest destination for Indians to enjoy wildlife in the bordering region, the number of Indian visitors to Sauraha and other entry points of the national park is growing with every passing year. 

Chitwan National Park is one of the best protected areas in the country. The national park is home to more than 60 species of mammals, including endangered species like rhinoceros and the Royal Bengal Tiger. Similarly, the national park also has 546 species of birds and scores of reptiles like crocodiles and pythons. Of the several entry points to the national park, the luxurious tourists prefer to stay in Meghauli and Jagatpur areas while the budget travellers flock to the Sauraha region due to availability of a wide range of accommodations. Sauraha has more than 125 hotels and jungle lodges catering to different categories of tourists ranging from backpackers to luxury seekers. 

Local hoteliers say Sauraha, a quintessential Tharu settlement on the banks of Rapti River, started seeing foreign visitors when Chitwan National Park was gazetted in 1973. It has since evolved into the most popular gateway to the national park. Today, Sauraha is the third most popular destination in the country for leisure travellers after Kathmandu and Pokhara. Leading travel agencies in the country like Four Seasons and President Travel receive attractive bookings for their jungle safari packages in Chitwan National Park. About 30% of the total guests handled by Four Seasons were for Chitwan National Park in 2023. President Travel also had a good number of bookings for Chitwan National Park during the year. 

Nepal is considered a pioneer in wildlife tourism in South Asia. Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge, which started operations in Chitwan in 1964, started signature events like Elephant Polo which helped promote Chitwan among wildlife lovers. For many years, Tiger Tops Lodge remained one of the most exclusive jungle retreats in Asia. It was known as a romantic destination for foreign visitors and was always in high demand. Foreign guests would pay over $200 for just hotel rooms. 

Initially, jungle safari in Chitwan was for high-end tourists only as the packages used to be very expensive. But the tourism product became so popular that Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi replicated the Nepali model of jungle safari to different parts of India, say local hoteliers. Chitwan first became popular among foreigners, particularly the Europeans and the Americans, in the 1960s. Six decades later, it is a major destination for Nepalis as well as European and American visitors looking for jungle activities. Of late, Sauraha has also started welcoming Indians in good numbers. Known for its jungle safari and cultural experiences, Sauraha is also evolving into a stopover for visitors looking for a relaxing time while on their way to Lumbini and Pokhara. 

Sauraha has evolved into the third popular destination in the country for leisure travellers after Kathmandu and Pokhara.

“The NTB has been hosting several promotional events solely promoting Sauraha near the bordering towns of India like Patna and Lucknow. These events have helped bring Indian tourists in good numbers to Sauraha,” Lamichhane added. 

While tourist numbers to Sauraha have increased, many hoteliers say that the arrivals are yet to hit the pre-COVID numbers. Dhruba Giri, the proprietor of Sapana Village Lodge, Sauraha, said his property enjoyed only 35% occupancy in the October-December period. “Compared to the COVID days, the footfall is positive as we are getting both domestic and European tourists. However, the number of stays is still way too low for the hotels in Sauraha as a whole,” he added. 

In 2023, Nepal witnessed a 25% growth in the arrival of Indian tourists compared to 2019. Data compiled by the NTB shows 319,936 Indian nationals visited Nepal by air in 2023. Back in 2019, Nepal had welcomed 254,150 Indian tourists. Leisure, pilgrimage, and MICE used to be the major purpose of Nepal visit of Indian nationals in the past. The number of Indians coming for destination marriage is also on the rise in recent years. Of late, Indian visitors seem to have developed a liking for jungle safari and wildlife activities as well. 

While the growing tourist footfalls adds enthusiasm, hotels seeing low occupancy, as stated by Giri, does not bode well for the tourism industry of Sauraha. “Most of the hoteliers I know have taken bank loans to keep the business alive. If the occupancy does not rise in 2024, many of them could go bankrupt,” he added. Hoteliers say they couldn’t avail themselves of the government refinancing scheme for COVID-19-affected businesses. “People with powers and connections have already availed these schemes thrice, and yet we are not able to get it once. The only thing that can save the hotels here is strict government vigilance on such schemes and massive bookings for this year,” Giri added. 

Tourism entrepreneurs say Sauraha, which is known for jungle safari and wildlife experiences, is emerging as a destination for budget-conscious people like Thamel of Kathmandu or Lakeside of Pokhara in recent years. Hoteliers say the number of people looking for nightlife is on the rise. “Most of the tourists coming to Sauraha are demanding loud music and dance bars. The number of tourists coming for wildlife and leisure is declining,” Giri added. 

Hoteliers in Sauraha say it is high time the government took necessary decisions for the sustainability of tourism in Sauraha. “The focus should be on making it a niche destination for wildlife activities," Giri said. "This is my humble request to the government. Let’s do it for the long-term good of this region before it’s too late.”