The Sky Walk Tower, which began operations in the tourist city of Bhedetar last July, has relieved the local hotel industry. Business owners say that while the sector has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, it has significantly improved since the tower’s launch. “Business is not like before COVID-19, but it’s better than during the pandemic,” said Ramesh Shrestha, owner of Hotel Arun Top, who has been in the hotel business for 18 years. He believes that the slowdown in Bhedetar’s hospitality sector will gradually fade.
Similarly, Lila Raj Lawati, owner of Hotel Lawati Corner, stated that the Sky Walk Tower has helped revive the struggling hotel business in the area. He hopes that promoting Bhedetar’s tourist attractions will restore its past commercial success.
Tumraj Limbu, president of the Hotel Association Bhedetar, acknowledged the improvement in business since the Sky Walk opened. However, he expressed concerns that the high entry fee has limited the number of tourists.
Currently, Bhedetar has over 100 well-equipped hotels and around 200 small hotels catering to tourists. Jitendra Rumdali Rai, chairman of Sangurigadhi Rural Municipality, noted that the Sky Walk, located on the border of Sangurigadhi Rural Municipality in Dhankuta and partially in Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, has played a crucial role in boosting tourism and trade in Bhedetar.
The Sky Walk was built with an investment of NPR 2 billion by the Koshi Province Investment Board and Wonders Amusement Parks & Attractions Pvt. Ltd. Since its opening on July 17, it has attracted over 150,000 visitors by March, generating a revenue of over NPR 50 million, according to Sanjiv Rokaya, the managing director of the operating company.
