Published 18 September 2020 By Junu Gole

Letter from Management

Letter from Management

Dear Valued Customers Of Himalayan Social Journey,

COVID-19 pandemic has caught us all unguarded and the world is suffering under the complete or fractional lockdown. Obviously, the travel business is no exemption and has been to a great extent affected by the coronavirus emergency. Himalayan Social Journey is the same and isn’t unaffected by this Pandemic.

As a careful step, our nation Nepal first prohibited visa on arrivals for all nations until April 30, 2020. In addition, travelers needed to remain in self-isolation for 14 days after entering Nepal. However, the lockdown did not end there. Cases kept rising and the lockdown was extended. After easing it down for sometimes, the government again imposed locked down with considerations to the rapid growth on COVID-19 cases in and out of capital. And now, as of 17th September, the lockdown has been eased and made flexible again and the first time in 6 months travel industries have been announced to have been permitted to resume their operations. Though it is a huge risk, it also is a desperate step by the government to revive the country's economy.

Thinking about this, our most noteworthy need is the well-being and safety of our customers and staff. In view of this, I might want to share the ongoing moves we are making to assist you in making informed choices when you will be traveling or trekking with us.

We have started to accept new bookings and have been positive that sooner than later we will be able to give comfort to our customers of knowing that Nepal can be safely traveled amidst this pandemic, and we will be making sure that all the necessary precautions and mitigations measures would be applied.

We also have social responsibilities towards the people and communities who have been affected by the continuous lockdown, loss of a job, and starving families. Hence, some profits from our proceedings would be directed to the welfare and distributions of the basic health, sanitary, and food supplies of the people in need. 

Hence, you can travel with us again with the sound mind that your entertainment, vacation, and pleasurable days with us in our beautiful country in some way would be contributing to the betterment of unfortunate families and individuals. 

If you are our existing customers with already booked trips but are considering to cancel we don't want you to dwell in the dilemma. Because of this crisis caused by COVID-19 which is outside anybody's ability to control, we've made it simpler for you to delay the trips in the event that you have made the reservations with us. You can postpone your trips for the later point of time at the free of cost. We encourage you to put the temporary hold on your travel plans with us and postpone the trips for the later date when the situation is under control and has more assurance of safety and hassle-free. This being said it would be rather wise to postpone and reschedule the trip than to cancel it.

It is prudent to note that financial pressure on us currently is immense and this hinders us from being able to refund everyone at the same time. If you are claiming the refund then please under our position and give us some time for us to be able to produce the refund amount as agreed. We are committed to you and in all honesty, right now, more than anything surviving the loss of this hit is our priority. Having said that, you give us some time, and having patience with us would be appreciated and respected in light of the events that we are unable to refund everyone at this time.

I want to bring it to the light that you already know Cancellation as per our  Company Policy would incur the charge of 20% of total trip cost. You may argue that we are charging you at the time of such devastating circumstances. But please understand as much you are affected by this pandemic, our company (all travel industries) and its employees that depend on the tourism industries are affected too. With all flights canceled along with treks, tours, accommodations, other add on trips and excursions, there are collective losses everyone has to bear. We have commitments to accommodations, guides, transportations, and other several parties that are associated to make your travel smooth and hassle-free, and we have to respect their commitment to us to provide you quality service. We are definitely not at the profitable front.

On the off chance that you decide to postpone the excursion, you don't need to affirm new dates now and you can travel whenever in the following 3 years with no additional expense. This implies the installments you have made remain secure with us and you can re-book the tour sometime in the future whenever you feel safe and convenient to travel.

Because of the high volume of refund requests, we look for your understanding as it might take longer than expected to give you a refund because of the severe money related approach to Nepal's administration. For the most part, the refund or transaction process outside the nation takes quite a while (normally 2-3 weeks which sometimes takes 4 weeks too) as we have to set up invoices, refund forms, and receive authorization from the Central Bank of Nepal. That is the reason, we urge you to post on the trip on credit and use the service in the future than to opt for cancellation.

The credit can be utilized later than three years from the hour of deferment.

We're committed to giving you the plausible alternatives and "Experience the distinction" when going with us. In case you are not satisfied with the service rendered during the trip with us, you shall be able to claim the compensation for the disappointment given the claims are valid.

We need you to take care, remain positive, and study the patterns as this is pandemic. We don't know what the results will be, however, we comprehend our administrations and consistently look forward to serving you. You are permitted to pick travel dates and reschedule unreservedly according to your decision with our adaptable travel choices.

Then again, if a refund is your only need, we will begin the exchange procedure. It is not an immediate process as I have explained above. We also have been under financial constraints due to a lack of income in the past 6 months. We refunded smaller amounts with whatever fund we had left and larger refund volumes have remained pending. When the COVID-19 circumstance is steady and leveled out which may take some time, we will get back to you and start the proceedings your refund from the bank from our side.

To wrap things up, our contemplation is with our customers and colleagues to remain safe. We trust that you are hopeful, optimistic, and positive even in these dubious circumstances.

We are eager to welcome you to our beautiful country which we believe you are eager to visit.

All the best and Namaste.

Company Administration Management

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