bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
        published
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
        published
      }
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        relatedNewsletters {
          ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
          id
        }
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
  ... on Video {
    youtubeId
  }
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on SectionUnion {
  __isSectionUnion: __typename
  ... on Section {
    name
  }
  ... on VideoSection {
    name
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        entityId
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        entityId
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on VideoSection {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksInlinePlusWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sectionsV2 {
    value {
      __typename
      ... on Section {
        name
      }
      ... on Node {
        __isNode: __typename
        id
      }
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


types

sectionsV2

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

Bibek Bhandari

Nepal’s tourism industry is scrambling to offset a sharp fall in Western visitors during the peak spring trekking season, with operators and officials turning their attention to Asia-Pacific markets as conflict-linked travel disruptions ripple through the Middle East.
Arrivals from the Americas and Europe, which account for a sizeable share of Nepal’s higher-spending long-haul tourism business, dropped by nearly 25 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively, during March compared with the same period last year, official figures show.
Even so, stronger demand from Asian markets helped limit the overall damage, with total visitor numbers slipping by just 1 per cent as the Iran war escalated last month.
Mani Raj Lamichhane, senior director at the Nepal Tourism Board, a semi-government body, said the decline reflected disruption to flights through Gulf hubs, which were crucial to Nepal’s long-haul connections.
More than 70 per cent of Nepal’s long-haul passengers came via the Middle East, mostly through Doha in Qatar and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, he said.

Home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks, Nepal draws tens of thousands of visitors each year to trek in the Everest and Annapurna regions, among others. Spring and autumn months are the busiest seasons, offering clearer skies and better trekking conditions.
However, more than 400 flights to and from Gulf countries have been cancelled since the war started at the end of February, disrupting at least 17 regular daily flights, mostly carrying migrant workers and Nepal-bound tourists.
“There are many booking cancellations from European and American markets, which is worrying tourism entrepreneurs,” Lamichhane said. “Many hotel rooms are empty, too, but we hope tourists from other countries will temporarily make up for the decline in our traditional markets in the West.”
Counting the cost
Mohan Poudel, a tour guide of 16 years, works with hundreds of visitors each spring and autumn, guiding them to the Annapurna Base Camp and along other trekking routes. But he said this year had been dreadfully quiet.
Last month, four separate tour groups of roughly 30 people from France, Germany and Austria cancelled their trips due to the travel disruptions. He usually makes several trips to the Annapurna Base Camp during peak seasons, but only went once in March this year.
For many guides who largely depend on European and American trekkers, the decline is directly affecting their income. Poudel, with a family of seven, said he usually depended on tourist dollars during peak season and farmed in other months.
“On a good month, I generally made about 70,000 rupees [US$470] in high season, but last month I hardly even made 10 per cent of that,” he said. “It is not as bad as it was during Covid, but not having the usual number of tourists and income is still stressful.”
Hotels in and around the picturesque town of Pokhara, the start of the Annapurna trek, have similar concerns.
Since opening last year, the Nana Mountain Resort in Dhampus, roughly 25km (15.5 miles) from Pokhara, has faced multiple disruptions – including the youth uprising just before the autumn tourist season and the country’s election in March – and was hoping for a spring recovery. But cancellations from the European and Israeli markets have wiped out nearly 60 per cent of its target.


“New properties like us are more vulnerable to any shocks,” said Vivek Pyakuryal, CEO of Nana Hotels and Resorts.
“We should worry a little for the off-season due to the shocks from these two months. Also, when we don’t have seasonal income, it disrupts the whole ecosystem and puts strain on labour, suppliers and the communities that depend on us.”
Meanwhile, some industry insiders say visitors are still arriving despite geopolitical tensions but are worried that rising fuel costs and airfares could dampen business in the months ahead.
“We are seeing a noticeable slowdown in inquiries for the next six to nine months, which will affect occupancy,” said Jack Edwards, managing director of Tiger Tops, a luxury safari adventure company operating for over 50 years.
“The softening in demand suggests that the broader impact of the crisis is likely to be felt more acutely in the medium term.”
Looking east
Tourism entrepreneurs said weakness in Western markets was also opening a window for Nepal to diversify and tap broader Asian demand.
Arrivals from the Asia-Pacific rose by nearly 20 per cent in March from a year earlier, alongside a similar increase in visitors from South Asia.
Bijay Amatya, a veteran tourism entrepreneur and CEO of Kora Tours, said the current crisis could cut tourist arrivals by around 30 per cent if the war dragged on, but Nepal could bounce back by “changing its strategy” – shifting focus beyond India and China to Southeast Asia, while clearly communicating that “Nepal is open, safe and worth the journey”.

Data shows that visitors from Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Myanmar rose steadily last month year on year, which industry insiders say is an “encouraging” trend. This comes as the Nepal Tourism Board marks 2026 as the Nepal-Asean tourism year.
Binayak Shah, president of the Hotel Association of Nepal, said the new government must move swiftly to operationalise the international airports in Pokhara and Bhairahawa – nearby Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini – which have been largely idle for years.
He added that the proposed two-day weekend aimed at cutting fuel use could also spur domestic travel, though the state-run Nepal Oil Corporation has cautioned against the move. Nepal has traditionally followed a six-day work week, with Saturday typically the only day off.
“Domestic tourists could slightly substitute for the reduced visitors,” he said.
Others in the industry are betting on a rebound, saying Nepal’s tourism sector has endured repeated shocks before – from the 2015 earthquake to political unrest and the pandemic – and recovered each time over the past decade.
“Nepal’s tourism sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience,” Edwards said. “The industry consistently adapted and recovered, and I am confident that this situation will be no different.”


Nepal’s trekking trade looks east as Iran war disrupts Western tourist flow

With conflict disrupting flights through the Middle East, Nepal’s tourism sector is counting on Asian trekkers to help soften the blow. Photo: Shutterstock

A tourist spins the prayer wheels while circumnavigating the Swayambhunath Stupa, a Unesco World Heritage site in Kathmandu. Photo: Getty Images

Trekkers watch the sun rise over the Annapurna Range in central Nepal. Photo: AP 

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Flight disruptions through Gulf hubs have cut Western arrivals, prompting tourism operators to chase travellers from Asia-Pacific markets


Flight disruptions through Gulf hubs have cut Western arrivals, prompting tourism operators to chase travellers from Asia-Pacific markets.


Nepal’s trekking trade looks east as Iran war disrupts Western tourist flow

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Flight disruptions through Gulf hubs have cut Western arrivals, prompting tourism operators to chase travellers from Asia-Pacific markets

Flight disruptions through Gulf hubs have cut Western arrivals, prompting tourism operators to chase travellers from Asia-Pacific markets