The hijacking of the Kathmandu-Delhi flight dealt a blow to Nepal-India relations, particularly to one of the pillars of the Himalayan kingdom's economy-tourism. Indian Airlines had suspended all flights to Nepal after the hijacking. The airline resumed its flights only on June 1 this year after tough diplomatic wrangling for almost five months. The suspension of Indian Airlines flights had resulted in huge economic loss to both countries. The airline, which had 19 flights every week to Kathmandu from different destinations in India, lost millions. But Nepal lost much more in Indian tourist traffic, accounting for more than 30 percent of the total number of foreign tourists this nation receives every year.

According to statistics provided by the immigration office at TIA, Indian tourist arrivals dropped by 31.64 percent from January to November 2000 compared to the corresponding period in 1999. In response to an Indian Airlines request, TIA has introduced additional security checks before boarding. "After June 1, 2000, people have forgotten the (hijacking) incident. We have also worked very hard to bring back our earlier reputation as a safe destination in India and other countries and enhanced our services, including security," Tek Bahadur Dangi, director of the marketing and promotion department of the Nepal Tourism Board, said in Kathmandu.

Mr Dangi claimed the hijacking and the Indian media's reaction to it were not the only reasons for the drop in tourist arrivals in Nepal. "We started implementing an identity card system for Indian tourists coming by air effective from October 1, 2000. That also contributed to the reduction of Indian tourists coming in," he said. Even while the backbone of the Nepali economy is yet to recover from the effects of the hijacking, travel agents fear another threat. Tour operators say the number of tourists would not rise in the coming years unless the government develops new destinations and offers attractive tourist packages.

(India Abroad News Service )