TT urges govt to allow resorts in the CNP

Temple Tiger Green Jungle Resort has urged the government to review its decision to close the resorts inside the national parks.

Talking to journalists, executive chairman of the Temple Tiger Group Companies, Basant Raj Mishra, said that the decision has had severe repercussions on the branding of the Chitwan National Park (CNP), which was noted as Asia’s Africa, and resorts operating inside the park.

Seven luxury resorts – Temple Tiger Hotel, Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge, Machan Wildlife Camp, Chitwan Jungle Lodge, Gaida Wildlife Camp, Hotel Narayani Safari and Island Jungle Resort – were operating inside the CNP.

They were forced to leave the CNP in July 2012.

The government had blamed the resorts for being in conflict with nature.

“All the resorts in the national park worked in partnership with the park security and communities for conservation. There was critical information and resource sharing, which greatly contributed to the anti-poaching efforts and tracking the rogue predators,” Mishra said.

Jeep ready for safari in the Chitwan National Park. 

He claimed that there was no empirical evidence to show that closure of properties inside the park had actually led to an increase in wildlife.

Nepal is a pioneer in wildlife tourism, and the resorts inside the park offered products like wildlife, soft adventures such as boating, elephant rides, and culture.

They contributed hugely to the state coffers as a resort paid between Rs. 20 million and Rs. 30 million in taxes and local revenue per year.

“The parks used to charge a tourist US$ 300- 400 per night while they were operating inside the park. But it is difficult to sell products even at US$ 150 after operating outside the CNP,” Mishra said.

He said that the government should reconsider the decision as Nepal needed quality tourists to earn more revenue from this industry.

Infrastructure of the seven resorts inside the CNP was left as they were while most of the huts, halls and other structures have been damaged.

But the entrepreneurs said they would be happy if only their licenses were renewed.

“We are not asking for compensation for the loss that we have incurred over the years. We want to see wildlife tourism being developed,” he said.

Wildlife tourism is an important part of the tourism industry in many countries, including many African and South American countries, Australia, India, Canada, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Maldives as well as Nepal.

Wildlife tourism encompasses interactions with wildlife, such as observing and photographing animals in their natural habitat.

According to Mishra, it had the recreational aspects of adventure travel, and supports the values of ecotourism and nature conservation programmes.

The resorts operating inside the CNP claimed that the tourists and travelers contributed to the conservation and improvement of the conditions of the animals, and the resorts helped in anti-poaching as well habitat restoration.

Meanwhile, the government has formed a committee to study the possibility of allowing the resorts to operate inside the CNP and recommend the operation modality.

The Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation had formed the committee, which is led by the director-general of the Department of National Parks.

The ministry claimed that the process would be transparent, and capable companies would be allowed to run their businesses inside the park.

(Published in The Rising Nepal on 27th January)