BAGLUNG: Tourist inflow has surged in Dhorpatan Valley during a four-day holiday period, with hotels operating at full capacity after hundreds of domestic visitors arrived in a single day. Several tourists were forced to return without accommodation as rooms were fully booked.
Although the holiday period began on Thursday, hotels in Dhorpatan were already full from Wednesday. Chairperson of the Dhorpatan Valley Hoteliers Association, Jiwan Pun, said hotel management became difficult as large numbers of tourists arrived simultaneously. The valley has 27 hotels and 12 homestays.
Pun said growing publicity of Dhorpatan has led to an increase in short holiday visits. While hoteliers managed to accommodate those who had made prior contact since Jestha 12, many walk-in visitors could not be accommodated.
“They all arrived at once after a long holiday, and there was no place to stay. Even nearby houses were full. There were no available hotels or homestays,” Pun said. “Around 100 tourists who contacted me had to return without rooms. Many others who reached out to different hoteliers also faced the same situation. We request visitors to check accommodation availability before coming.”
Dhorpatan has a combined capacity of around 700 guests per night in hotels and homestays. However, hotel entrepreneurs say nearly twice that number of tourists have been arriving daily during the holiday period, making management difficult.
Hotel entrepreneur Shivaraj Kandel said he accommodated around 80 guests but had to redirect nearly 200 others to different hotels. He added that the current tourist rush has created a fair-like situation in the valley, with hoteliers often forced to turn guests away despite their willingness to serve them.
The recent surge in visitors is largely attributed to improved access following upgrades to the Burtibang–Dhorpatan road, which now allows travel from Burtibang Bazaar in about an hour. Until last year, the route was in poor condition.
A visitor from Gulmi, Mahesh Khadka, said he had to stay overnight in Burtibang after failing to find accommodation in Dhorpatan. He had travelled with a group of 13 people for a three-day trip but had to cut their visit short due to lack of lodging. According to him, only those who reached Dhorpatan earlier on Thursday managed to secure rooms.
Deputy Mayor of Dhorpatan Municipality, Dhan Bahadur Kayat, said the valley sees a rise in visitors during this season due to its cooler climate. He urged tourists to make advance contact with hoteliers before travelling, warning that sudden arrivals create challenges in managing food, lodging and other services.
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