KATHMANDU: The war in Ukraine is likely to impede the recovery of Nepal’s tourism sector, which was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The surge of global crude oil prices, disruption of international fights and impact on global economy, among others, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine are likely to hamper Nepal’s tourism revival expectations, Nepal’s tourism entrepreneurs have said.

“Russians and Ukrainians were making up some proportion of tourists in Nepal over the past couple of years,” said First Vice President of Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) Cholendra Bahadur Karki.

“Russians and Ukrainians planning to Nepal this year are unable to leave their countries due to the conflict. This, to some extent, is sure to hurt Nepal’s tourism recovery expectations,” he added.

Several European countries have imposed sanctions against Russia, which accounts for nearly 10 percent of the world’s supply of crude oil, and notably, the war has just begun.

“The nationals of these countries planning to visit Nepal in 2022 are rethinking their travel plans,” noted Karki.

Nepal’s tourism industries could face a setback if the war prolongs, Karki further said, fearing that the war in Ukraine could negatively impact the tourism recovery efforts in Nepal at a time when the travel restrictions have been lifted in the country as well as in the region.

NTB Information Officer Mohan Bahadur GC said, “Though we have informal information that a few mountaineering expedition teams have put off their plans, the Russia-Ukraine war at the moment has not had much of an impact on tourists to Nepal at present.”

According to the Department of Tourism, a total of 50 climbers from Russia had obtained permission for mountaineering in 2019.

Of them, 31 had made it to the summit. The same year, seven Ukrainians out of 20 managed to scale various peaks.

They also contributed good revenue to the government when they came for various purposes, including mountaineering.

However, the years 2020 and 2021 were impacted by Covid.

The Government of Nepal imposed various restrictions, including a halt on issuing mountaineering permits, to curb COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

In 2022, as the COVID-19 crisis subsides, several Asian countries such as Laos, The Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia, including Nepal, have recently opened for travelers, who are already vaccinated.

However, tourism recovery expectations are likely to be hurt due to the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

“Due to the effect of war between Russia and Ukraine, there will be a domino effect on the global scenario, including Nepal’s tourism sector,” said President of Nepal Tours and Travel Association (NTTA) Achyut Sharma Guragain.

“Around 4,000 to 5,000 Russians and a significant number of Ukrainians used to come to Nepal each year if you look at the past data. Due to the war, the numbers will decrease — which certainly will hamper the recovery of Nepal tourism sectors,” he added.

NTTA President Guragain further went on to say that the impact of war has tangibly affected even Europeans, who account for a significant portion of tourists to Nepal.

“Europeans are fearful about their travel plans due to the war. If one leaves for another country while the war is underway, possibilities of destruction of their homes and property back home while they are away is a discouraging prospect for European nationals to carry on with their travel plans,” he added.

It should also be noted that several flights between Europe and Asia have already been canceled or rerouted to cities such as Seoul, Tokyo, London, among other major destinations. “The disruption of international flights due to the war is vivid,” said TAAN First Vice President Karki.

“However, the impact of the war has not been seen drastically in the country as of now but if the conflict widens and spreads to Europe, Nepal is to be adversely affected,” said NTTA President Guragain.

In 2019, 283 Russian citizens had obtained permission for mountaineering through the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA). Also, the same, 103 permits had been issued to Ukrainians.

“Looking at the bigger picture, if the price of crude oil increases further, travel can be more expensive due to the rise in jet fuel and reroutes to Asia, including Nepal,” said tourism entrepreneurs.

However, the situation is not as dire as could be as the conflict unfolds, according to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).

NTB Information Officer Mohan Bahadur GC said, “Though we have informal information that a few mountaineering expedition teams have put off their plans, the Russia-Ukraine war at the moment has not had much of an impact on tourists to Nepal at present.”

Nevertheless, GC warned that if the war gets prolonged and spreads to Europe then there might be a substantial impact on Nepal’s tourism.

According to the data of 2021, the average stay of a tourist in Nepal is 15.1 days with a daily average spending of $65. Notably, tourists pay a huge amount to obtain mountaineering permits to various peaks in the country.

In 2019, 283 Russian citizens had obtained permission for mountaineering through the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA). Also, the same, 103 permits had been issued to Ukrainians.

This year, the same numbers are unlikely to arrive, affecting Nepal’s tourism revenue and recovery.