If you still think it is the memory of the anti-Hrithik Roshan riots in Kathmandu that have kept Indian tourists away, think again. It is now clear that Indians are avoiding Nepal in droves not because of security fears, but mainly because of a new rule enforced in October 2000 requiring Nepali and Indian travellers to have either passports, voter ID cards or certified government letters while travelling by air to each others' countries. Overland travellers have no such restriction.
The marriage season in India saw only a dribble of honeymooners in Kathmandu and Pokhara, and it looks the same for April-May when Indians used to flee the heat of the plains by the thousand and fly up to Kathmandu. The monsoon months, which had stopped being a lean season for many Nepali hotels because of Indian tourists arriving, are not looking good either.

"Coming to Nepal is not as easy as it was before," Tek Bahadur Dangi, director at the Nepal Tourism Board, told us. "We don't have exact numbers but Indian arrivals have gone down." The passport rule for air travellers went into effect after the home secretaries of Nepal and India agreed to begin "regulating" air travel to keep better records of passenger traffic.

Nepali officials gave in, thinking this was a symbolic gesture and would assuage Indian paranoia about infiltration by Pakistani agents through Nepal-especially after the December 1999 hijacking of IC814. One senior Nepali diplomat told us: "The rule was made after several rounds of discussions, and we thought it would ultimately also be a step towards better border regulation."

But what it has done in the short term is slow Indian arrivals to a trickle, since Nepal's main attraction for Indians was the ease of travel. "If you need passports, you may as well go to Dubai," said one Indian visitor who frequents Kathmandu's casinos. Voter IDs are also a problem-not everyone has one, and even if they do, it is not handy. The result can be seen in the hassles passengers go through at immigration in Delhi, Bombay or Calcutta, where some have even been turned back after checking in for the flight to Kathmandu.

"There is reason to worry," says Raju Shrestha, assistant executive manager at the Soaltee Crowne Plaza. "We'll have a better idea of how bad things are when the Indian summer holidays begin in late-April." Conferences and incentives will be hit hardest. Another reason for Indians to come was the acceptability and strength of the Indian rupee here. Says one Darbar Marg travel agent: "They cannot just pick up their bags and head to the airport anymore."

The urgency of the issue seems to have finally dawned on the NTB, which is trying to start a three-month promotional blitz in India with special discounts. It is writing to Indian officials to specify the definition of identity cards, perhaps even include local photo IDs and driving licences.

Over 30 percent of the tourists visiting Nepal before December 1999 used to be Indian. And they were high-spenders who shopped, gambled and splurged on adventure outings like ultra-light flights and rafting. The hijacking, the cancellation of all Indian Airlines flights from Delhi, Calcutta and Banaras for the first five months of 2000, the negative publicity following the hijack and the Hrithik Roshan riots, and now the passport requirement have all taken their toll. From 8,865 Indian tourists in February 1999, we're down to 5,005 in February 2001.