Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Aug. 23: More than 60 tourist standard hotels and dozens of non-tourist standard ones of Kathmandu Valley have been prepared as quarantines to keep migrant Nepalis to be rescued from different countries.

The government has made provision of keeping migrant workers rescued from abroad for at least five days in hotel quarantine before sending them to corresponding states. The government has directed to rescue 500 stranded citizens per day from abroad.

As per the direction of the government, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) had prepared the lists of tourist standard and non-tourist standard hotels to make them quarantine centres.

Binayak Shah, 1st Vice-president of Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), said that more than 60 hotels of tourist standard, including star ones, had been prepared for quarantine service to keep Nepalis rescued from abroad.

Shah said that the identified hotels have the capacity of 2000 rooms and 3,500 beds to accommodate rescued Nepalis. All hotels have been prepared to offer service to rescued citizens by maintaining health safety standards, he said.

As per the rate fixed by the government, hotels of tourist standard can charge Rs. 1,800 to Rs. 9,000 per person per day for accommodation and with four meals as prescribed by the government. Similarly, non-tourist standard hotels can charge Rs. 1,500 per person.

As per the rate of the government, tourist standard (non-star) hotels can charge Rs. 1,800 per person for twin bed rooms and Rs. 2,800 for single bed ones.

Shah said that 90 per cent of the hotels assigned for quarantine are of non-star tourist standard as majority of migrant Nepali workers are expected to demand for cheap hotels to stay in.

Shah said that the price fixed by the government would not yield any profits to hotels adding the hotels were preparing to accommodate rescued Nepalis only out of corporate social responsibility.

“Out of Rs. 1,800, we have to pay Rs. 400 as value added tax and service charge, from the remaining Rs. 1,400 we have to provide four meals as prescribed by the government and other safety amenities,” he said.

Shah said that HAN was ready to assign additional hotels as per the need.

Dhananjay Regmi, chief executive officer of NTB, said that the board had submitted lists of hotels sufficient to accommodate 5,000 people. Non-standard hotels of Sundhara, Gausala, Airport and Buspark have also been included, he added.

He said that hotels had been enlisted as per the minimum requirements for the safety of accommodated persons.

Published on: 23 August 2020 | The Rising Nepal