Nepal’s President Ram Baran Yadav has formally inaugurated Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011 campaign at a ceremony held at Dashrath Stadium on Friday with the attendance of top officials representing Saarc countries and Kuwait - the only Arab representation in the event.The organisers hope the campaign would attract 1mn visitors during 2011.
Some 30,000 spectators watched the air show carried out by pilots from more than 20 countries and the march past of different associations as the band by the Nepal Army, armed force and police played music.
The ceremony was marked by representation of all the national parties in Nepal, who committed full co-operation to make the campaign successful.
The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation announced the ambitious initiative in October 2008, in a bid to increase tourist arrivals and ultimately create jobs.
Previous such event was held back some 12 years ago as ‘Visit Nepal 1998’.
The banners with slogans ‘Together for tourism. Tourism for Prosperity, Prosperity for stability’ were splashed across the city.
The event would be an opportunity to refurbish Nepal’s image as a safe and adventurous tourist destination. The domestic tourism industry hit by a decade-long conflict, was looking for a catalyst that could propel it to a new height. With a record number of tourists arriving in 2010 (estimated at 610,000), the stakeholders this year are aiming at 1mn tourists.
“We received 610,000 tourists in 2010 by air and land,” said Yogendra Shakya, national co-ordinator of the NTY Implementation Committee. “With proper promotion, there is no reason why we can’t achieve the 1mn visitors -target.”
However, things don’t look as rosy as claimed by the NTY officials. NTY’s international promotion is yet to kick off, the national flag carrier’s fleet expansion plans are still uncertain and the country’s only international airport suffers from infrastructural bottlenecks. As the arrivals go up, congestion has become a matter of routine.
NTY has not been promoted sufficiently in the global tourism market, specially in the Gulf region, thanks to the delay in budget allocation. It was only after late November 2010 that NTY got the cash for the campaign. That resulted in a delay in promotional campaign in key nations mainly India and China, the two major markets identified for 2011 as some 400,000 tourists are expected to visit Nepal from these two fast growing economies.
The possibility of a political crisis was a major concern, although the opposition parties promised to refrain from strikes, in the Tourism Year.
“Yes, it is a worrying factor,” Shakya said, adding that “one of the reasons why tourist arrivals surged last year was the pledge by parties not to organise strikes in 2011. I don’t think they would breach their commitment.”
The hotels have invested over Rs500mn ($7mn) in infrastructure upgrade, and more international airlines are starting direct services while domestic airlines are expanding fleets to have a piece of the tourism pie.
The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation announced the ambitious initiative in October 2008, in a bid to increase tourist arrivals and ultimately create jobs.
Previous such event was held back some 12 years ago as ‘Visit Nepal 1998’.
The banners with slogans ‘Together for tourism. Tourism for Prosperity, Prosperity for stability’ were splashed across the city.
The event would be an opportunity to refurbish Nepal’s image as a safe and adventurous tourist destination. The domestic tourism industry hit by a decade-long conflict, was looking for a catalyst that could propel it to a new height. With a record number of tourists arriving in 2010 (estimated at 610,000), the stakeholders this year are aiming at 1mn tourists.
“We received 610,000 tourists in 2010 by air and land,” said Yogendra Shakya, national co-ordinator of the NTY Implementation Committee. “With proper promotion, there is no reason why we can’t achieve the 1mn visitors -target.”
However, things don’t look as rosy as claimed by the NTY officials. NTY’s international promotion is yet to kick off, the national flag carrier’s fleet expansion plans are still uncertain and the country’s only international airport suffers from infrastructural bottlenecks. As the arrivals go up, congestion has become a matter of routine.
NTY has not been promoted sufficiently in the global tourism market, specially in the Gulf region, thanks to the delay in budget allocation. It was only after late November 2010 that NTY got the cash for the campaign. That resulted in a delay in promotional campaign in key nations mainly India and China, the two major markets identified for 2011 as some 400,000 tourists are expected to visit Nepal from these two fast growing economies.
The possibility of a political crisis was a major concern, although the opposition parties promised to refrain from strikes, in the Tourism Year.
“Yes, it is a worrying factor,” Shakya said, adding that “one of the reasons why tourist arrivals surged last year was the pledge by parties not to organise strikes in 2011. I don’t think they would breach their commitment.”
The hotels have invested over Rs500mn ($7mn) in infrastructure upgrade, and more international airlines are starting direct services while domestic airlines are expanding fleets to have a piece of the tourism pie.
Kathmandu, Jan 14 (PTI) President Ram Baran Yadavtoday launched ''Nepal Tourism Year 2011'' at a grand functionin the capital to attract more foreign visitors and boost theeconomy, which is still reeling under the impact of a decade-long Maoist insurgency that ended in 2006.
Top Nepalese leaders, including Prime Minister MadhavNepal and chief of main opposition Maoist party Prachandaattended the function in the heart of the capital.
The launch of the tourism year also coincided with aSAARC Tourism Ministers Conference. Tourism Ministers fromBangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan along with TourismSecretary from India and representatives from other memberstates also attended the function.
Addressing a gathering of over 25,000 people at theDasharath Stadium, caretaker Prime Minister Nepal said thecampaign will promote Nepal as a peaceful, safe and one of thebest tourism destinations in the world.
"We are focusing on the development of tourism togenerate more employment so that our youths need not go abroadfor jobs," he underlined.
He said the government will give priority to buildinginfrastructures and developing packages so as to attract moreinvestment.
He said the government will specially focus on theneighbouring markets of India and China to promote tourismduring 2011.
Tourism Minister Sharad Singh Bhandari underlined theneed for "economic revolution through tourism".
"After achieving political revolution, now we willfocus on economic revolution through tourism," said Bhandari.
He said tourism aims to change the face of the countryand enhance Nepals international image.
He said boost in the tourism sector will lead economicrevolution as the country moves forward towards peacefultransition after the decade-long insurgency.
Air show, cultural and ethnic pageants along withtraditional musical bands were part of the grand function.
The tourism sector is the largest foreign exchangeearner for the country. It was expected that with the end ofthe Maoists-led insurgency in 2006, the country''s tourismsector would get a boost.
However, the country has been faced with political andeconomic instability that has impacted the tourism sector.
More than six months after the 22-party coalition ledby Prime Minister Nepal collapsed, 16 rounds of Parliamentvote has failed to elect a new leader.
Maoist supremo Prachanda and CPN-UML presidentJhalanath Khanal vowed to promote tourism as a nationalpriority and refrain from launching any crippling strikes,agitation and protests during the year.
A record number of tourists flew to Nepal last year,with most of the growth coming from its two giant neighboursIndia and China, according to official figures. Nepal aims tobring in some 260,000 tourists from India during the year.
Nepal aims to attract one million tourists. The NepalTourism Board said the arrival of some 500,000 foreignvisitors at the country''s only international airport in 2010,15 per cent more than in 2009, showed tourism had recoveredfrom a decade long insurgency that ended in 2006.
The number is expected to cross 650,000 when visitorstraveling overland are included.
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