Chitwan, NEPAL — Rajendra Aryal (45) likes visiting the tourist town of Sauraha on the fringes of Chitwan National Park in Nepal. He enjoys the wilderness, the jungle safaris and the natural beauty of the place. These days, he also likes to take a dip in the swimming pools. “Whenever I come to Sauraha with my wife and kids, I prefer to stay in a hotel with a swimming pool,” says Aryal, father of a 10-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter. “If we get the extra facility of a swimming pool without paying extra, then why not?” Aryal, who identifies himself as a businessman, tells Mongabay on a sunny September afternoon in Sauraha. “I bring my family over every time I have some business-related work in Chitwan,” he adds. Like the Aryals, many Nepali tourists coming to Sauraha for their holidays these days want to stay in a hotel with swimming pools, says Rajendra Dhami, immediate past chair of Chitwan Guide Association. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses in the tourist town on the banks of the East Rapti River have realized that domestic tourists are equally important, as they are the ones who helped them keep afloat during the pandemic years when international travel was severely affected. “That’s the reason they want to attract domestic tourists,” adds Dhami. According to estimates by local hoteliers, around 70% of the hotel room bookings in Sauraha come from domestic tourists. The estimate is also corroborated by figures from Chitwan National Park, visited by most…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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