Visitors at the Teej Festival organized in Pokhara.
POKHARA: Simon Party Palace at Srijana Chowk is one of the busiest event venues in Pokhara. As the space is easily accessible and has a lot of open space, it is a preferred choice for people looking to host their social events.
The party palace has seen unprecedented demand even during the off-season due to the Teej festival. “Looking at the booking figures for Teej, it seems that we have put COVID behind us,” said Deepak Timalsina, who has been operating the venue for the past 12 years. “We are getting four to five groups every day.”
According to Timalsina, all four halls in his event venue have been booked for the past month for Teej celebrations.
Timalsina, who is also the president of the Pokhara City Chapter of the Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (REBAN), said most of the party venues, hotels, and restaurants are doing brisk business due to the Teej celebration. Teej events have helped to increase economic activities in Pokhara. “If the government creates a conducive environment, increased economic activities will give us the much-needed respite,” he added.
Pokhara City Chapter of Reban has 150 members. Most of the members are restaurants and event venues.
Cosmetic stores and jewelers have also seen increased footfall for about a month due to the Teej festival. “Although the footfall was higher compared to normal days, the actual transaction was below our expectation,” said Nirmala Diyali, a jeweler.
Stores dealing in clothes and apparel were also bustling with buyers. Mamata Chapagain of Biratua, who was busy selecting a sari at one of the stores in Chipledhugna, said she won’t buy expensive saris this year. “I won’t invest much in clothing as we are passing through a recession,” she added.
Naraj Khan, the owner of the clothing store, said the increased footfall for two to three days won’t translate into significant business growth. “Our sales are still lower compared to the past,” he added. “Daily sales used to hover above Rs 100,000 before the COVID pandemic. Now it’s only around Rs 30,000.”
Businesspeople like Khan, however, are optimistic about better business prospects as major festivals like Dashain and Tihar are just around the corner.
Gajendra Man Shrestha, the owner of the Clothing Entrepreneurs Association, Kaski, said online retailers have taken a toll on their business. “We experienced some growth in business, but e-commerce players took most of our business,” he said, adding, “Also, many people have withheld buying clothes due to the recession as food, health, and education are the first priorities for everyone.”
Nearly 250 clothing professionals are under the umbrella of the association.
Devendra Lamsal, General Secretary of the Nepal Hotel Entrepreneurs Federation, Gandaki, said that although the footfall of people has increased, it is not generating quality business. “The movement of people naturally increases in the market during the festive season, but this is not translating into business opportunities,” Lamsal added. “It seems that the economy has fallen into recession already.”
When asked what the government should do, Lamsal said the government itself is in crisis. “Let the government avert its crisis first. It would be wrong to say that the government did nothing,” Lamsal said. “The economy should have bounced back after COVID subsided. But since we are an import economy with limited production, problems have been seen in the economy.”
