Home returnees rush to ticket counters give sense of festive season
KATHMANDU, Nepal- With Dashain and Tihar, the greatest festivals of Hindu, are at doorsteps people living in the capital city are planning to return to their home during the festivals. And their rush to book tickets at the ticket counters reflect the sense of festive season to everyone.
Viewing the same rush, both Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) and National Transport Entrepreneurs Federation (NTEF) have opened booking counters for the passengers. Though the AOAN has already opened the booking, the NTEF is prepared for Tuesday.
According to the AOAN, domestic airline companies have booked around 35 percent of tickets for the upcoming festivals of Dashain and Tihar. “Tickets to all the destinations outside Kathmandu are fully booked in advance due to the pressure of passengers during the main festivals of Hindus”.
Airline companies said that booking has been affected due to recently raised air fare. Also the quick accessibility of road ways and cheap fare through road has somehow decreased the bookings as compared to the previous years.
As the number of people demanding tickets went up during festival, tickets were sold in the black market last year claiming that the tickets were sold out within two days of opening booking. However, concerned claimed that they have managed the distribution this year.
According to NTEF, monitoring will be intensified right from the beginning this year. “We will monitor forming teams consisting representatives from traffic police, Department of Transport Management, and entrepreneurs,” claimed a NTEF official.
