Rain and snowfall since Friday have disrupted tourist activities in Pokhara and other parts of Gandaki Province, slowing visitor movement after tourist numbers had increased at destinations across the region following Dashain. The adverse weather has arrived during the main tourist season, a period considered ideal for trekking, and is creating additional challenges for tourism activity.
Visitor movement slows after Dashain
Tourist numbers had risen at various destinations immediately after Dashain, but the change in weather has reduced the movement of visitors. Rain and snowfall have affected activities in Pokhara and elsewhere in Gandaki, interrupting the increase that had been seen in the days following the festival.
The reported impact is on tourist activity and visitor movement across the affected areas. The available information does not identify particular destinations, trekking routes or activities that have been affected more than others. It also gives no figures for the decline in visitor movement, so the scale of the slowdown has not been quantified.
The shift has come at a time when the tourism season is expected to support trekking activity. With conditions that are usually considered suitable for trekking, the period had offered an opportunity for visitors to travel to destinations in Gandaki. The recent rain and snowfall have complicated that seasonal activity, according to tourism representatives.
Weather adds pressure during trekking season
Krishna Prasad Acharya, former president of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) Gandaki, said the weather had added challenges during the main tourist season. He described the season as otherwise ideal for trekking, underscoring the contrast between the conditions generally associated with this period and the weather currently affecting visitor movement.
Acharya’s assessment points to the timing of the disruption as a concern for tourism activity. The weather has not only coincided with the main season but has also followed a post-Dashain rise in tourist numbers at various destinations. The combination has made the interruption particularly notable for a region where trekking is among the activities associated with the season.
Disruption reported across Gandaki
The effects have been reported in Pokhara as well as other parts of Gandaki Province. The information available describes a broad reduction in the movement of visitors rather than a disruption confined to a single location. Rain and snowfall are cited as the cause, though no further details have been provided about how conditions differ between destinations.
For now, the reported picture is of tourism activity facing a weather-related slowdown during a normally important period for trekking. Visitor numbers had picked up after Dashain, but the subsequent adverse conditions have reduced movement and created challenges for tourism in Pokhara and the wider province. No forecast or timeline for a return to improved conditions was included in the available information.
