Hoteliers‚ airlines differ over figures

KATHMANDU: Plagued with many problems lately, Nepal’s tourism industry is confronted with a new riddle –mismatched claims by the airlines and hoteliers on tourist inflow. A dozen and more airlines coming to Nepal say they enjoyed more than 90 per cent occupancy in October-November this year. They expect to utilise 75 per cent occupancy during December-January — traditionally a lean tourist season. A nominal cancellation of bookings makes them more optimistic.The claim is in sharp contrast to the beleaguered hoteliers, who say the occupancy of majority of hotels in October-November remained below 50 per cent, a 30 per cent slide from last year. About 30 cancellations were observed during the last two months, they said adding “the booking cancellation is at its peak at present.” The occupancy for December-January is expected to be below 30 per cent, according to Narendra Bajracharya, President, Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), which is 35 per cent less than that of the corresponding period last year. Where do those who fly in go once they land here? An easy question, with a difficult answer. There are a number of possibilities. One is the demand and supply relation.

Gurung’s last punch is yet to be

KATHMANDU: Surendra Gurung, who defeated Thai boxer Natthaphong in the WBC title fight in the feather weight category on November 30, has asked his fans through an opinion poll whether he should continue fighting or not. “I had announced that the bout against Natthaphong as the last bout of my career.” said Gurung. He told the media that Japanese sponsors have come forward with a proposal for a fight in their country with an American boxer in July next year, which will be worth 150 thousand dollars for him. “ I want some help regarding the matter from the public and other professional boxers,” he said. Refuting media reports that his bout against Natthaphong was fixed, Gurung clarified that the fight was a title fight in the featherweight category and it was free and fair. “We did not cheat in that bout and no professional boxer in the world would cash his title for dollars. I would like to inspire our youngsters in this sport so as to develop professional boxing in Nepal.” said an emotional Gurung. “I would have earned an handsome amount if I had agreed to fight the bout in Japan instead,” he added. Recalling the day, Gurung said that the Japanese delegation was happy for him for he knocked out Natthaphong in just five rounds. “I have brought the fight to Nepal only because I wanted to make Nepal popular in the world through sports,” said Gurung.