Feature: Quakes take toll on Nepal's tourism and transport sectors

The two strong earthquakes that hit Nepal in a span of just over two weeks have killed and injured thousands, damaged vital infrastructure and crippled the country' s economy, particularly its tourism industry and transport sector.

One of the most affected was Balaju, also known as the new bus park, the hub of major transport services in the capital. It is also the area where most hotels and guesthouses for local and foreign tourists are found.

On Friday, the usually busy transportation hub was quiet with only few vehicles loading passengers.

Most of the guesthouses in the area have been totally destroyed while others have big cracks and would have to be demolished. "The mobility of the people has come down to 10 percent compared to the previous days," Ganesh Bahadur Khadka, a taxi driver, told Xinhua. "Many people have abandoned Kathmandu for fear of new quakes and aftershocks."

The first quake with a magnitude 7.9 hit Nepal on April 25. This was followed by another 7.5-magnitude quake on May 12. In between were hundreds of strong aftershocks.

More than 8,000 people have been killed by the two quakes while hundreds of thousands of buildings were damaged.

Khadka said that the taxi business has been severely hit because of the lack of tourists. He said that immediately after the April 25 quake, their business got a little boost because of the presence of foreign journalists and rescue workers. "But now it's over and we don't know when business would pick up," Khadka said.

Pralad Kuworm, who has been a taxi driver for the past 15 years, said that it would be difficult for the country's tourism industry to recover since most of the heritage sites and temples frequented by tourists have collapsed.

There is also a dearth of passengers entering Kathmandu. Suraj Kuwor, owner of 9696 bus operating Dang-Kathmandu route, said that they have few passengers from outside entering the valley while they have an overload of passengers leaving Kathmandu for the countryside. "One-way income in not profitable in the transport business," he said.

Prakash Balami used to transport grains and other cereals to Kathmandu from different villages. He said his business has been badly affected by the two quakes. "All the grains and cereals were damaged by the quake and I could not buy from my usual sources," he said.

Raja Ranjitkar, a local food supplier from Balaju area, said that the building where he used to have his shop has been demolished, adding that it will take some time for the building to be rebuilt. "In the meantime, I don' have a source of income," he said.

Pradip Budha has another sad tale. He said he used to stay in a guesthouse of Balaju every time he comes to Kathmandu. "During the first earthquake, I was in the guesthouse and I witnessed the death of so many people," he said. "Now all the guest houses and restaurants here in Balaju are closed. It will take some time for the area to recover from the devastation that took place," said Lal Kumar Acharya, the owner of Sakar Setinag fancy store.

Thakur Acharya, owner of a mobile center in NayaBus Park, said that business was really bad in the aftermath of the earthquakes. He said he did not have a single customer for the whole day Friday. Endi