Buddha Jayanti

 

Where are the Tourists gone??

Despite all the media hype and expectation from the general public, the spring tourist season in Nepal seems to have nosedived in comparison to the last few years. End of March and the streets are still deserted, the shops empty, makes you wonder what went wrong?

Meanwhile, the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) has scheduled different international programs targeting Nepal Tourism Year. In a bid to sensitize the world about Nepal’s tourism, a painting from the famous US cartoonist Ranan Lurie is being taken to Mt. Everest. Lurie’s painting has been exhibited at Lobby, New York, South Korea and Israel to disseminate the message of peace and harmony.
In addition to this HAN will also be holding the World Congress of International Hotel and Restaurant Association from Nov 30to Dec 02 targeting Nepal Tourism Year 2011. The association has over 300,000 hotels and million restaurants from all over the world as its members.

Tourism Year 2011

Nepal Tourism Year 2011 is finally here and so is the new government, increased power failure and countless many more challenges. Despite all this the hopes and aspirations are still high. With most financial indicators around the world unveiling much stable and better figures than in the last few years, tourism entrepreneurs are now hoping for recovery to be back on track.

With additional new trekking routes like the Great Himalayan Trail that combines a lot of existing network trails into a grueling journey across the Himalayas, the Indigenous Peoples Trail, the new year looks like a year filled with hope and optimism. The International airport in Kathmandu has also undergone some work to make it more comfortable and spacious for travelers. The departure lounge has been extended and the processing of visa and other formalities made quicker at arrivals.

While all infrastructure development to attract a million tourists, the official government target is in place the outcome needs to be seen yet.

NTY to be launched at border points

The ministry of tourism and NTY 2011 implementation committee plans to take the campaign to all the major border towns. NTY 2011 will be inaugurated in border towns like Kakarbhitta, Birgunj, Biratnagar, Bhairawaha, Nelapgunj, Mahendranagar, Janakpur and Dhangadi simultaneously on Nov 16.

The program will start with a cleanup campaign which will include participation from the government officials, business persons and local residents. The objective of the campaign is to inform the people to keep the cities and border points clean besides providing hospitality to the visitors who come overland. It is also an effort to decentralize and gather support at the regional level to make the campaign a huge success. Additionally, the campaign is also aimed at revamping the existing facilities, improving immigration procedures, simplifying frontier formalities and building rest areas for tourists have also been planned to enhance convenience to the visitors.

On Feb 26, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal launched NTY 2011 in Kathmandu. The event then moved to Pokhara and April 12 and to Bhairawaha, Nepalgunj, and Biratnagar on April 13, 21 and 23 respectively.

Nepal ranks 4th at climate change risk

South Asia is the world's most climate vulnerable region, its fast growing population badly exposed to flood, drought, storm and sea-level rise, according to a recent survey.

Of the 16 countries listed as being at 'extreme' risk from climate change over the next 30 years, five are from South Asia, with Bangladesh and India in the first and second places, Nepal in the fourth, Afghanistan in eighth and Pakistan at 16th.

Manaslu Fest in 2011

Youth Development Committee of Manaslu, Gorkha district is organizing Manaslu fest to mark the 55th Mt. Manaslu day on May 09, 2011.

The Committee will arrange archery and horse riding competitions during the three day event and has also included participation by foreign guests in a bid to attract a large number of tourists. The event
Is going to take place at Mt. Manaslu base camp. Tashi Glayzen Manaslu horse race honors the first climbers on this peak, Toshio Imanishi of Japan and Glayzen Norbu Sherpa of Nepal scaled the peak in 1956.

The festival is aimed to attract more tourists to this region. Manaslu has not being able to attract a large number of sightseers despite its tourism potential. According to the president of the committee, the govt collects hefty charges from the tourists every year but the benefits are not shared with the local residents. High entrance fee and controlled entry for foreign visitors have also affected the tourist arrivals.

HAN to hold NTY 2011 promo in Malaysia

Hotel Association of Nepal is holding a Tourism promotion in Kuala Lumpur. A 42 member delegation of HAN left for Kuala Lumpur to publicize Nepal Tourism Year 2011 in Malaysia. The promotion is being held in collaboration with the Nepal Embassy, Malaysia, Nepal Malaysia Chamber of commerce, NRN Malaysia and Nepal Tourism Board.

HAN will be organizing Buyer to Buyer meetings, press conferences and a Nepal night to promote Nepal in Kuala Lumpur on 8th October. The program will focus supporting the Nepal Tourism Campaign and its target to bring one million tourists. The event will also highlight the planned air service between Kuala Lumpur and Kathmandu by Malaysian Airlines and Air Asia which is expected to enhance tourism development in both the countries.

HAN and the Malaysian Association of Hotels are also scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Oct 7th.