BIRGUNJ: The New Year celebrations in Birgunj were disrupted due to a prohibitory order imposed following clashes during the Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday.
The District Administration Office enforced a curfew from 6:30 pm on Saturday to midnight on Sunday, severely affecting public activities and the hospitality sector.
The curfew forced the postponement of the night market organized by Birgunj Metropolitan City to mark the New Year. Hoteliers report mass cancellations, especially from Indian tourists who had come to celebrate.
“Many Indian guests vacated their rooms and returned home due to the curfew,” said Hari Pant, President of the Parsa Hotel and Tourism Entrepreneurs Association. “This has brought the tourism industry to a near standstill.”
Pant shared that while hotels in Birgunj are usually packed during New Year’s Eve, occupancy plummeted to below 45 percent this year. Star hotels including Diyalo Lords Plaza, Bhishwa, Clark Resort, and Suraj Hotel — some equipped with casinos — saw mass cancellations.
With over 85 hotels and lodges in the market area alone, stakeholders say the impact of the curfew extends beyond tourism. “Such recurring strikes and prohibitory orders severely hurt all sectors of business,” Pant said, calling for long-term solutions to prevent such disruptions.
Despite a steady inflow of Indian tourists via the Raxaul checkpoint, Birgunj continues to be used largely as a transit city. Officials from the metropolitan city say they are working on developing attractions and infrastructure that will encourage Indian tourists to stay in Parsa for at least two nights.
Investments in the hotel sector in Birgunj are estimated to exceed Rs 10 billion, making stability in the region vital for the local economy.
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