The home-stays have been shut down in Banke and Bardiya districts due to ongoing lockdown. The home-stays run nearby the national parks in these districts are now dismal with no tourists turning up there following the stay home order government enforced to contain COVID-19.

Though the home-stays were getting popularity on the eve of Visit Nepal 2020, it took no time for them to get deserted with the onset of the global menace.

Chair at Madhuban municipality ward-1, Parshuram Tharu, said all home-stays were closed and locals here were adversely affected because it was their occupation for income.

A local home-stay runner at Gabhar of Banke, Krishna Chaudhari, also expressed plight that the home-stays are on verge of collapse in the district. In absence of tourists’ arrival, home-stay can not be run at all, he added, wondering how they could seek jobs and manage family in the crisis.

To this, FNCCI, Bardiya chair Biru Tharu observed that the lockdown has badly affected the economic activities in the district.