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‘Peace prevails, come and visit Nepal’

The Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) signed the much-awaited Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) on November 21 formally ending a decade-long armed insurgency. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) Prachanda signed the historic accord promising to chart a new destiny for a "peaceful and democratic" new Nepal and pledging for peaceful coexistence of all Nepalese irrespective of caste, creed, religion or gender.

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) said that the peace pact would definitely provide a boost to Nepal's tourism industry. "Although not a single tourist was targeted or harmed by the rebels during the insurgency, the conflict emanated the wrong message to the world about the safety and security situation in Nepal. With the ending of the conflict, tourism entrepreneurs have expressed their satisfaction and happiness in a hope that it will bring permanent peace in the country which is vital for the growth of tourism," it said.

"The people of Nepal would like to make a pledge to all the tourists who had postponed their tour to Nepal due to various reasons to visit Nepal and see and experience its beauty, grandeur, culture, arcane temples and monasteries, mountains and jungles. The Nepalese people also would like to request all the tourists to make a New Year Resolution for 2007 to visit Nepal as a lifetime experience."

TOURISM WATCH

The tourists are back

Tourist inflow in November went up 6.9% compared to the same period last year. According to the figures released by the Tourism Ministry, 29,407 air travelers visited Nepal during that month. Most of them came from India (23%), Japan (11%), the UK (8%) and the USA (6.8%).

In October, international arrivals to Nepal reached 36,851 persons. The number of tourists from South Korea (+57.1%) and Japan (+12.7%) were up significantly. Arrivals in September numbered 25,484 persons.

Nepal on stage at WTM London

Nepal was out in force at WTM London with the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and a jumbo delegation of 24 travel trade companies setting up shop at the world fair. Besides taking part in the inaugural ceremony, Tourism Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali lent his weight to the special program "Ascending the Eight Thousanders of Nepal" on the World Stage. Addressing the gathering, he emphasized the vastly improved political situation in the country and the role of tourism in its economy.

The World Stage program was one of the key attractions as five British celebrities made special presentations on Nepal. Alan Hinkes, OBE, extreme altitude mountaineer and climber of all 14 of the world's highest peaks, spoke on Ascending the Eight Thousanders of Nepal. Michael Palin, CBE, noted writer, actor and traveler, talked about his time in Nepal during the making of the famous series The Himalayas. Nigel Gifford, OBE, one of Britain's most seasoned mountaineers, spoke on Nepal's new brand slogan. A familiar face on British television, Brian Blessed, related his experience during the filming of his documentaries. John Paul Davidson, director and producer of the BBC, also shared his experiences in Nepal. Nepal's strong presence at WTM London was guided by the fact that the UK is the number one European market for Nepal.
 

27th World Tourism Day observed

Tourism Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali presented awards to airlines and travel agencies catering to the highest number of tourists in the country in 2005/06 and also hotels earning the most amount of foreign exchange at a program organized to mark the 27th World Tourism Day in Kathmandu. The Tourism Day was observed with the theme "Tourism enriches".

The Hyatt Regency, Malla Hotel, Summit Hotel, Tibet Guest House and Hotel Garuda were awarded in the five- to one-star categories respectively. Likewise, Yeti Travels stood first among the travel agents, while President Travels and Zenith Travels stood second and third respectively. Thamserku Trekking stood first among the trekking agencies. Asian Trekking and Himalayan Expeditions came second and third.

Among the airlines, Nepal Airlines, Thai Airways and Qatar Airways were awarded for bringing in the largest number of passengers till August 2006. In the domestic sector, Cosmic Air, Yeti Airlines and Buddha Air received the award for being the largest foreign currency earners respectively.

Speaking at the program, Minister Gyawali said that the government was set to bring in a new aviation policy, liberalizing the sector to ensure more private players and a competitive environment. He added that the state-owned national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation would be made an autonomous entity and that the existing rules would be made flexible in order to allow international airlines to operate more flights during the peak seasons.

Shikher Prasai, Director of Natraj Tours & Travel and Chairman of PATA Nepal Chapter, bagged the "PATA Face of the Future" award. Balram Pathak received the award for the most outstanding meeting director in the Asia Pacific Region. The PATA Nepal Chapter also bagged the PATA Award of Excellence for the numerous promotional activities undertaken by it. The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) won the Gold Award in the CD ROM category for its promotional CD on Nepal.

Prizes were also distributed to the winners of the nationwide essay competition, project writing competition and Destination Promotion Award organized by the NTB.

Travel Writers of the Year

Punam Mittal, Assistant Editor of the Himalayan Travel Trade Journal, won the Nationwide Travel Writer of the Year 2006 Competition in the "Mountain Tourism" category. She was awarded with a plaque, certificate and cash prize.

Journalists receiving the awards in the five other categories were Hari Krishna Upreti, Rajiv Dongol, Lal Shyakarelu Rapaja, Umesh Pokhrel and Minga Norbu Sherpa. They were awarded for their write-ups on Eco Tourism, Adventure and Sports Tourism, Rural Tourism, Culture and Heritage Tourism and Pilgrimage Tourism respectively.

Tourism Ministry to research Nepal Era

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has directed the Ministry for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to set up a committee of experts to further study the historical background of the Nepal Era. Addressing a function held in Kathmandu on October 23 marking the Lunar New Year 1127 Nepal Era, Prime Minister Koirala said that he would do his best to recognize it as Nepal's national calendar within a year.

Speaking at the same program, Tourism Minister Pradeep Gyawali said he would soon form a committee of experts who would conduct further research on the Nepal Era. "This democratic government is committed to recognizing the Nepal Era as the national calendar," he said.

The Nepal Bhasa Manka Khala, a local cultural organization, has been at the forefront of a movement to gain recognition for the Nepal Era for more than 25 years.

The Malla Hotel gets five stars

The Malla Hotel in Kathmandu has been awarded five-star status by the Nepal Tourism Board. Established in 1975, the hotel is located at Lekhnath Marg between the Royal Palace and Thamel, Kathmandu's tourist district in the heart of the city.

The hotel offers 125 rooms, 50 executive rooms and 20 apartments and suites. Its restaurants offer Italian, Szechuan and Cantonese, Continental and Indian fare. It also has a well-equipped business center and extensive meeting and conference facilities.

‘Deepening our spirituality’

Hindu Vidyapeeth - Nepal (HVP) hosted an International Youth Conference on the theme "Deepening our spirituality" in Kathmandu in September. It was organized by the World Spirit Youth Council, Switzerland and Children of the Earth, USA, and attracted 25 international and 50 Nepalese youth participants.
The conference focused on exploring aspects of consciousness through different religions and discovering how spiritual values can transform the world into a more harmonious place to live in. The program also featured a Peace March from the UN head office at Pulchok.

SASEC to work for regional tourism product

The seventh meeting of the tourism working group of South Asia Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) was held in Kathmandu in November 3 to chalk out strategies to jointly promote tourism in the sub-region. Government officials, representatives from the private sector and the donor community from Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Bhutan participated in the meeting. The meeting discussed SASEC's overall tourism programs, technical assistance for human resources development, and promoting the Buddhist circuit and eco-tourism. The member countries expressed their commitment to work towards a regional tourism product and to have a common vision of the regional product by 2015.

In conjunction with the SASEC gathering, the second meeting of the South Asia Sustainable Tourism Forum (SASTF) was organized by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) in association with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV-Nepal). The ADB has been supporting the SASEC program since 2001, which was launched at the request of the South Asian Growth Quadrangle, formed by Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.

Medical camps to aid development tourism

In a bid to promote development tourism in Nepal to help the disabled and also research high altitude sickness, the Tilicho Medical Research Expedition organized medical camps in the highlands of Nepal by bringing doctors and paramedics from Italy and other countries.

The expedition is an Italian non-governmental organization, and the project is meant to provide medical and humanitarian aid to the highlanders of Nepal living around remote Tilicho Lake in Manang and Dolpa that are far off the normal tourist routes.

The project aimed at developing environmentally compatible tourism, enhancing the bio-diversity of the zone and improving the area's hydro-resources.

Heritage Walk: Taking steps to preserve Patan

Filled with ancient monuments and neo-classical architecture, Patan is undeniably one of the famous heritage sites of Nepal. And to help preserve these cultural landmarks, Kathmandu 2020, an NGO which has been working for youth leadership enhancement, organized a heritage walk through the historic city.

Themed "World Heritage in Youth Hands", the heritage walk led through all the corners of Patan, starting from Mangal Bazaar and ending at the Rajbhandari Guest House, a restored Newar house.

Participating in the walk were mainly high school students. Each participant was provided a heritage passport, a personal record diary to jot down their experiences of the tour.

The campaign was launched to encourage youths to help preserve their cultural heritage and also to help the residents of the Kathmandu Valley to come up with a shared vision for the city.

BoK initiates knowledge series

The Bank of Kathmandu (BoK) launched a Knowledge Series themed "Successful innovation for profit and growth" in November, which will bring in international experience and knowledge.

The inaugural event of the series was a full-day workshop with David Wittenberg, Director of Innovations Group, Optimus Solutions, USA and Ajay Gupta, CEO of Corporate Leadership Institute, India.

The course was meant to inspire and strengthen the human resources of a firm and add value to the business, development and professional fraternity of Nepal. It also aimed at stimulating personal creativity so that it becomes more productive and innovative, enhancing the capabilities of managers and sustaining business in a competitive corporate world.

The bank donated the proceeds of the event to the Hospital and Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children at Banepa.

Chepang Museum opens its doors

A Multiple Use Visitors’ Information Center (MUVIC) and Chepang Museum have opened in Shaktikhor at the foot of the Chitwan Chepang Hills. Situated in south central Nepal, the Chitwan Chepang Hills are being developed as a rural tourism destination.

The Chepang Museum contains cultural and historical exhibits related to the Chepangs, an ethnic community who traditionally practiced some slash-and-burn agriculture and also hunting and gathering from the forests. They are indigenous to the region, and number a little more than 50,000 persons.

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