The Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) has issued a safety status update on major trekking and pilgrimage routes following the devastating flash floods in the Trishuli and Bhotekoshi rivers on August 26, advising travellers and tour operators to plan routes according to the latest access conditions.
Nepal remains open to foreign tourists and travellers despite the devastating Bhote Koshi River floods that have caused extensive damage in parts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.
Travel along the Kathmandu–Muglin section of the Prithvi Highway has been completely disrupted after a large section of the road at Krishnabhir in Dhading sank on Sunday, following erosion from the Trishuli River.
The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) is preparing to establish a dedicated information desk to coordinate updates on tourists affected by the August 26 Bhotekoshi flash flood, as tourism agencies intensify efforts to trace missing travellers and provide verified information to their families.
As the search continues for hundreds of foreign nationals and tourists caught in the devastating Bhote Koshi-Trishuli floods, Nepal’s tourism industry is also searching for the people who were there to guide, assist and support those visitors.
Nepal is urging international travellers to continue visiting the country despite devastating floods that have affected several parts of the country, saying most tourism destinations remain safe, accessible and open.
Nepal’s parliamentary tourism committee has called on the government and industry leaders to move beyond reassurances and implement a concrete strategy to rebuild international trust in the country’s travel sector, following the recent Bhotekoshi–Trishuli floods.
The Rasuwa flood has caused more than Rs 50 billion in preliminary damage to Nepal’s tourism sector, including damage to 142 hotels, 57 restaurants and 141 tourism-related vehicles, Tourism Minister Khadak Raj Paudel said on Wednesday.
A pre-dawn flood swept away two bridges in Gorkha, while a landslide has disrupted the Tsum Valley trail, prompting authorities and TAAN to urge trekkers to delay their journeys