Tikapur Park attracts over two lakh tourists, faces competition after Karnali suspension bridge opens

Bhajani: More than two lakh tourists have visited Tikapur Park in Tikapur Municipality-5 of Kailali this year.

The park has generated more than Rs. 13.5 million in revenue during the current fiscal year, which has become a major source of internal income for Tikapur Municipality.

According to Binod Chaudhary, an employee at the park, around two lakh 30 thousand domestic and foreign tourists visited Tikapur Park this year. He said that tourist arrivals decrease during the rainy season compared to other periods, but the number starts increasing from the beginning of Dashain.

However, after the construction of the suspension bridge connecting Tikapur and Rajapur of Bardiya over the Karnali River in Daulatpur, tourist arrivals at Tikapur Park have declined significantly. With the new bridge attracting visitors, many tourists who previously visited the park have started heading to the bridge, leaving the park relatively deserted.

Chaudhary said that tourists who pay Rs. 50 per person to enter Tikapur Park are now returning after visiting the bridge, where entry is free. “Even today, two to three hundred tourists used to come to see the park daily. This time, after the bridge was built, the number of visitors has decreased to even around one hundred per day,” he said. “Tourists reaching the park entrance turn towards the bridge instead of entering the park.”

During the rainy season, when the flow of the Karnali River increases, many visitors gather around the bridge area to observe the riverbanks and capture photos and videos. Thousands of people continue to visit the bridge during public holidays.

“We came to visit this new place because it has an attractive view,” said Samjhana Magar of Geruwa Rural Municipality, Bardiya. “The view of the Karnali River from the bridge is very beautiful, and the cool breeze makes the experience even more enjoyable.”

Citizens from different areas of Kailali and Bardiya have been visiting the bridge for sightseeing and photography. Although the bridge is still in its initial phase, it attracts large crowds during public holidays.

“The bridge can become a good tourist destination. For that, security monitoring should be strengthened with a long-term vision,” said Krishna Chaudhary of Tikapur Municipality-4. “The local government should promote it by developing it as part of a tourist circuit.”

The increasing number of people taking photos and videos on the bridge has also created difficulties for vehicles using the bridge. The risk of traffic accidents has increased as the narrow bridge becomes crowded.

“The crowd makes it very difficult for motorcycles to pass through the narrow bridge,” said Sushant Chaudhary of Rajapur, Bardiya. He said that when he stands in the middle of the bridge to record videos, motorcycle horns are often not heard due to the crowd, and warned that unpleasant incidents could occur in such situations.

Locals have started demanding increased security presence in the bridge area. They said that the gathering of youths on the bridge, especially at night, has created additional security challenges.

“It is necessary to set certain standards for tourists visiting the bridge,” said local resident Sunir Chaudhary. “At least if there was police patrol at night, the risk would be reduced.” He also pointed out the need for a police post, stating that the risk of drug use among youths has increased since the bridge is connected to the community forest.