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Kathmandu Friday September 28, 2001 Ashwin 12, 2058.
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Tourism experts see a new opening
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Sept 27 – US leaders are no longer talking of a massive
strike against terrorism but of a sustained effort over a long period. This ironically,
offers opportunities for Nepal’s tourism entrepreneurs.
For one, many experts here note that Nepal is far outside the usual terrorist
network so safety here is relatively better than elsewhere. And since the war against
terrorism is not going to be a one-time affair but a long one, the explosive impact of
such a war could be felt minimally in the Himalayan foothills.
Experts say, this could, in theory, divert tourists to the US and other
western countries to destinations like Nepal. "The trick is to tap such
tourists," says Pradeep Raj Pandey, Chief Executive Officer at the Nepal Tourism
Board (NTB).
Following the September 11 terror attack, the hoteling industry, as well as
the tours and operators in Nepal, as elsewhere, faced a spate of cancellations.
For an industry that has gone through testing times in the recent past, the
latest incident in American soil thousands of kilometers away came as a rude shock.
"Nepal does not face such threats from terrorism that US does. And there
is every chance that tourist who planned to visit the US or the European sector would come
to Nepal rather than to risk their lives by going to places that are in the target of the
terrorist," says Pandey.
However, tourism entrepreneurs stress on the need for massive campaigning to
tap this opportunity. If this opportunity is not tapped and the tourism industry continues
to remain this way, the national economy will suffer tremendously, say tourism experts.
Especially because the tourism industry during periods of normalcy contribute
around 4 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product and almost 15 per cent of the total forex
earnings. And given that the condition further deteriorates, the future of over two
hundred fifty thousand people directly engaged in it would suffer.
With the possibility in the inflow of diverted tourists from other outbound
destinations still large, entrepreneurs now are banking on the hopes that American war
upon terrorism does not spread out on a regional level.
If the attack and fight against terrorism remains localised, then there is no
reason why a better tourism scenario against initial expectations cannot be anticipated,
hope entrepreneurs and tourism experts alike.
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