Two associations related to the travel trade sector Tuesday stated that their attention had been drawn towards the attacks on five buses carrying tourists heading for the capital from the tourist city of Pokhara.

The buses were stopped at Bijayapur before people started lobbing logs and stones on them. The buses having registrations — Ba. 1.Pa 613 (Baba Travels), Ga 1.Pa 52 (Blue Sky Travel), Ba.1. Pa 449 (Greban Travels) and Sargasan Travels were carrying Korean tourists.

Some tourists were injured i the stone pelting and the vehicles were damaged. At a time when tourism was gradually gaining buoyancy and tourists from different countries had started booking tickets to visit Nepal, such forms of anarchism and insecurity would have a negative impact on the overall situation of tourism.

Nepal Association of Tour And Travel Agents (NATA) and the Hotel Association Nepal have condemned the attack and demanded that the government take necessary steps to devise a mechanism for ensuring security of such vehicles carrying tourists.

The two associations in a jointly signed press release have also demanded appropriate compensation to the owners who had their buses damaged. They have also demanded that the Home Ministry initiate steps to provide treatment to the injured tourists.

Transport entrepreneurs has been sticking to their demand to raise the transport fare despite the fact that the government hiked the fare by 25 per cent recently. They have called a nationwide strike as part of their protest programme.