Places Like Rasuwa
OFTEN, while talking about tourism promotion in
Nepal, the debate centres around hotels, resorts, plane flights etc. And the touristic
spots that often come under discussions are those which are already familiar in the
tourism world. It is a fact that some of the popular tourist destinations are showing
signs of strain. Some tourist destinations like the Kathmandu Valley, which is the premier
one among them, manage to put off more and more tourists because of its ill associated
with unplanned urbanisation. The pollution here prompts a tourist to get out of here and
go to places like Pokhara which on its part also sees a good number of tourists. Chitawan
National Park is another Terai corner which hosts a lot of tourists every year. Signs of
overuse of such touristic places are clear for all to see. The fact that only a
handful of places have to sustain most of the tourists coming to Nepal is a pointer to the
absence of alternative tourist sites. It is not that there are not many places that have
all the potentials of developing into tourist-pullers. The fact is that, despite a lot of
pronouncements on tourism diversification, Destination Nepal still means Kathmandu,
Pokhara, Chitwan National Park, Annapurna trail etc and few other places.
While such spots begin to get frazzled because of
tourism pressure beyond their carrying capacity, other potential tourism spots languish
for want of attention. One of such places is Rasuwa. Only about 118 kilometres north
of Kathmandu, Rasuwa district has many spots to boast of. The most famous of them is
Gosainkunda, a holy pilgrimage site which see thousands of pilgrims every year. It is rich
in natural beauty with an ethnic mosaic to add. Cultures of different ethnic groups abound
there. Apart form the natural offerings of the high-altitude mountains and rivers, there
are festivals connected to the holy Gosainkunda and other pilgrimage sites. A legitimate
query to the travel trade operators would be: What major efforts, if any, have been made
offering packages to potential tourists. So they may visit Gosainkunda? The question to
the government tourism officials would be: What concrete measures have they taken to
promote Rasuwa tourism? Such questions can be asked about any other potential tourism
spots. The questions are valid because a need to develop alternative tourism spots are
overdue if Nepal’s tourism potentials are to be tapped, lessen pressure on
traditional spots and enable people like those in Rasuwa benefit from tourism like their
brethren do elsewhere.
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