Pokhara gets 23 new hotels

SANTOSH POKHAREL
Pokhara: Nearly two dozen hotels started operation in Pokhara in the past year.

Tourism entrepreneurs have been increasing investment in the hospitality sector as tourist arrivals to lake city continue to post healthy rise.

According to Tourism Office, Pokhara, 23 new hotels have been opened in Pokhara in the past year with the investment of around Rs 300 million. These hotels have a total of 300 rooms.

Bharat Raj Parajuli, vice president of Paschimanchal Hotel Association Pokhara (PHAP), investors are getting attracted to Pokhara’s hospitality sector as the number of tourists in the city is increasing with every passing year.

Around 400 hotels are associated with PHAP. There are around 7,000 rooms with 14,000 beds in these hotels.

According to conservative estimate, around Rs 75 billion have been invested in hotels of Pokhara.

“The number of domestic tourists has increased drastically over the past few years. This is one of the reasons why entrepreneurs are pouring their investment in the hospitality sector,” Parajuli said, anticipating further rise in tourist arrivals in the coming days.

He further added that Pokhara still holds potential for biggest star-rated hotels as most of the hotels in the lake city are of tourist standard. “Guests look for suites. Unfortunately, only a few hotels in Pokhara have suites,” Parajuli said, adding, “It needs big investment to open star-rated hotels.”
There are only two five-star hotels in Pokhara -- Fulbari and Pokhara Grande.

Khyam Bahadur Thapa, chief of Tourism Office, Pokhara, said entrepreneurs are putting more money in Pokhara’s hospitality sector as they have been getting good returns from their investment so far. “People feel investment in hospitality sector is safe as no tourism entrepreneur in Pokhara has faced loss,” he added.

Not only the hotels, the number of restaurants, trekking agencies and travel agencies is also increasing in Pokhara. “These tourism service providers have created new jobs,” said Thapa.

With the rise in the number of tourists in Pokhara, entrepreneurs in surrounding village are also make fresh investments. Kisam Gurung, who operates a nine-room hotel in Ghandruk, is adding nine more rooms to accommodate more tourists.

“We are adding more room as the number of tourists, especially the domestic tourists, is increasing steadily in recent years, added Gurung.