KATMANDU. Dec II Tourists began vacating big hotels in Nepal on Monday alter the owners ordered a temporary closure following a showdown with the workers, who are demanding a 10 per cent service charge on customers, says AP.

All tourism entrepreneurs have agreed to the point that it is not possible to operate the hotels in the condition where the government cannot give protection and the industry is under the constant threat of service disruption." said a statement by the Industrial Friendly Committee, a body representing 16 tourism-related organizations.

The shutdown will be indefinite until the workers dropped their demand. It Is likely to hit big hotels, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of rooms available in (he Himalayan state. Small

hotels will remain unaffected.

The hotel Industry employs nearly 200.000 people. Tourism Is the biggest foreign exchange earner for Nepal. It fetched 8168 million in 1999.

The hotel workers demand that the management Impose a 10 per cent service charge and pass that on to (hem.

The Hotel Association of Nepal has rejected the demand, saying it would hurt the tourism industry that already has faced a slump in recent years. Tourists already are paying 12 per cent government tax on their bills.

The association said in a statement that the government has refused to intervene in their dispute with the workers.

The big hotels put up notices last week, warning guests that they could not be entertained beyond Dec 1 1.