Suspension of solo paragliding affects tourism sector

POKHARA, May 10:The tourism sector has been affected by the suspension of paragliding solo flights for the past one and a half years. The match was postponed owing to the death of Tribhuvan Army Club player Niseem Thapa during a paragliding flight as part of the ninth edition of the national sports championship on October 16, 2022.

Pom Narayan Shrestha, chairman of the Pokhara Tourism Council, stated that the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN)'s cessation of flight operations  has had a significant impact on the tourism industry. He stated that they had requested that the solo flight be resumed from CAAN and the Prime Minister, with a demand that they be allowed to fly to a specific location in Pokhara at a specified time. However, Shrestha also said that the demand has not been addressed so far.

After the death of a sportsperson in a paragliding accident, the CAAN met and temporarily halted paragliding flights throughout the country. CAAN was eventually opened for commercial passenger flights. Sunis Bhattarai, president of the Nepal Airsports Association, stated that the suspension of solo paragliding flights in Pokhara, which is ranked among the top ten in the world, has had an impact on tourism and income collection in the Pokhara region.

Solo paragliding flights have attracted people to Pokhara throughout both the tourist season and the off season. He stated that it is not a proper judgment to cancel the flight without further examination. President Bhattarai proposes that because solo paragliding begins in Pokhara and this region and ends with the pre-world cup and world cup of this game, it be made available to players who wish to perform solo paragliding around the world by establishing certain conditions.

He stated that even the Open Nepal Paragliding Competition, which has been held for the past two decades, could not take place due to the suspension of solo flights. A few years ago, Pokhara offered a paragliding package ranging from 7000 to 12000 to encourage the paragliding industry. With the opening of the international airport in Pokhara, it transferred from Sarangkot's Toripani in Pokhara to Mandredhunga in Pokhara from  1 January , 2023.

Paragliding pilot Sharmila Sharma stated that paragliding resumed from Toripani Bahakot in Sarangkot a few months ago. According to him, it has begun to encourage tourism to a limited level in recent years, as paragliding may be done from Toripani to Mandredhunga. There are over 400 professional paragliding pilots, over 200 solo pilots, and 58 company in Pokhara.