Kathmandu, Jan. 4 -- Nepali hotels, particularly in the Kathmandu Valley, may see a flurry of temporary closures as they have been struggling to pay their employees with no hope of tourists coming back in the near future, industry insiders said.

Almost all hotels closed their doors in March when the government announced a complete lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus which wiped out tourism and business travel.

"The shutdowns were supposed to be temporary; but 10 months later, tourists are still not coming back," said Binayak Shah, senior vice-president of Hotel Association Nepal. "The hospitality industry has been affected the most among all the sectors of the economy, but it has not received any support from the governmen...