The bilateral cease-fire called by anti-gov't guerrilla and the Nepali government, which brings with it hopes for restoration of permanent peace, has enthused tourism entrepreneurs who see bright days ahead for the ailing industry, an official said in Kathmandu on Sunday.

Sikhar Prasai, director of Natraj Tours told reporters that business has begun to pick up. The pace of inquiries and bookings has speeded up, as tourists feel more confident to make a trip to Nepal.

"As an indication that tourists are very much interested to visit the country, we have begun to receive inquiries daily from tourists on individual basis. Earlier, we did not receive any such inquiries from individual tourists," he said.

Narendra Bajracharya, president of Hotel Association of Nepal said the entrepreneurs have expected a tremendous increment in visitors in the new season beginning in autumn after the monsoon.

"Generally, tourists plan their trip some months in advance, so it takes some time to witness a substantial growth in arrivals," he said, adding that the situation will be pretty good for the industry in the coming months.

He said the average occupancy in hotels is around 25 percent at present. "During the recent general strikes in April, it was just 5 to 10 percent," he added.

Pavitra Kumar Karki, secretary general of Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents said that going by the current trend of bookings, tourist arrivals is projected to grow by at least 30 percent in the next peak-tourist season, from mid-September to mid- December.

Over the last six years, the incessant violence adversely affected the tourism industry, a mainstay of Nepali economy, according to Karki.

The figure of Nepal Tourism Board shows that tourist arrivals fell from a record 491,504 in 1999 to 375,501 in the year 2005.

Source: Xinhua