Sunday, August 30, 2020

Tour operators urge to save 1.05 million tourism-related jobs

 Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) has – issuing a press note today – called upon the government to chart out a plan to save 1.05 million jobs, which are in danger of being lost.

Tourism stands out as the most hit sector compared to other sectors affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, reads the press note.

The association has also drawn the government’s attention to the fact that tourism-related businesses have now been operating on negative cash flow since March and fears the situation cannot be sustained for long.

The association has also shed light on the fact that 6.3 million people depend directly or indirectly from the tourism sector on a daily basis, assuming that each worker in the travel industry in Nepal supports 6 family members. 

The Covid-19 – that hit the tourism industry worst – might eat the jobs permanently, the association press note reads, fearing that the road to recovery will be long and drawn-out with traveller number reaching 2019 levels only in 2024, if at all, given the government support is provided. “These job losses would be a permanent loss, even when tourism begins to revive and travellers start to come back gradually.”

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