Middle East Conflict Disrupts Air Travel, Causing Decline in Tourist Arrivals to Pokhara

Tourist arrivals in Pokhara, the tourism capital, have decreased due to the disruption of international flights caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East. The hustle and bustle in Pokhara and surrounding destinations have diminished during the second main tourist season as tensions escalate between the US-Israel and Iran.

Krishna Prasad Acharya, Chairman of the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) Gandaki, stated that nearly 50 percent of foreign tourists scheduled to visit Pokhara have canceled their bookings. "Tourists from Europe and America traveling to Nepal via Middle Eastern countries are unable to come due to air insecurity and flight cancellations," he said. "If this situation continues, the tourism sector could come to a standstill, similar to the COVID-19 pandemic."