Wooing Chinese Tourists
Special Package Programmes Essential

By Uttam Maharjan

NEPAL and China are close neighbours with geographically proximity, with their relations dating back to over one thousand years. The visits of Chinese pilgrims Fa Hien and Hien Tsang to this Himalayan Kingdom have gone down well in history. Similarly, Arniko, a pre-eminent architect of our country, made an epoch-making visit to China to build a pagoda there.

In May this year, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji paid a state visit to Nepal. During the visit, several agreements were reached between the two countries. One of the achievements emanating from the visit was to register the country on the list of China’s outbound destinations.

Accordingly, on 26 November the two countries signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to allow Chinese tourists to visit Nepal, heralding a new chapter in Nepal-China relations. It is a matter of gratification that the country is the first South Asian nation to be recognised as such by the Chinese government. The number of China’s outbound destinations has now reached 19.

The Chinese tourists will be allowed to visit Nepal in groups of at least five through the arrangement made by the travel agencies of China. This arrangement has been made as per the wish of the Chinese government.

In fact, tourism industry is a vital sector of Nepal that contributes around 3.8 per cent to the nation’s GDP. Around 25 per cent of foreign exchange earnings are made through this industry. And about 300,000 people have directly benefited from it. Thus, the tourism industry has bolstered our economy to a great extent.

It may be noted that the Chinese cannot visit any country on their own; they can visit only the outbound destinations approved by their government. Last year, 12 million Chinese tourists visited various countries, which speaks volumes for the importance of attracting them. The number is expected to rise in the years ahead. Therefore, if Nepal can attract Chinese tourists in large numbers, the tourism trade will certainly get a shot in the arm.

The economic revolution of 1978 has made China one of the economic behemoths in the world. This has enabled the Chinese to go on tour in large numbers every year. Also, China is one of the big tourist destination in Asia, which receives over 25 million tourists every year.

Nepal has many things to offer to Chinese visitors. Buddhist and Hindu temples and shrines could be among the major attractions for the Chinese.

At present, the Nepalese tourism industry is in the doldrums for internal and external reasons. The internal security problems due to the Maoist terrorist insurgency and external factors like the September 11 attacks on the USA and the ongoing war in Afghanistan are to blame for a continuing decline in the tourism trade. It is reported that there is a decline of 17.45 per cent in the nine months of the current year over the corresponding period last year. Since the Chinese are peace-loving people, they cannot be attracted here until peace and security are brought back to normalcy in the country.

Not only security but also other factors need to be taken into account if we are really serious about boosting Chinese tourism. Quality services are what the Chinese demand. Therefore, infrastructure development relating to tourism-catering services, accommodation and basic amenities like water, electricity, health care and transportation—needs to be in place. And tourism products and services should be designed as per the desire of the Chinese. What is more, tourism-related publicity will be more effective if designed in the Chinese language itself.

Likewise, entry points between the two countries by air and land need to be extended. At present, RNAC has flights to Shanghai and China Southeast Airlines operates the Shanghai-Kathmandu route. RNAC is planning to operate in some more routes. It may be noted that more Chinese may prefer surface travel due to high risks associated with air travel, which have gone up in recent times.

Mandarin, the lingua franca of China, is not understood by most of the non-Chinese. So there is an urgent need for training tourist guides in Mandarin and other Chinese languages.

Similarly, since the Chinese currency, called the yuan, is not convertible on the Nepalese bourse, it is necessary to make it convertible so as to facilitate foreign currency exchange for the Chinese.

The Nepal-China Non-Government Economic Cooperation Forum, established in 1996 and represented by business, community and governmental representatives of the two countries, could make significant contributions to boosting Chinese tourism in Nepal. At the recently concluded 5th meeting of the forum held in Kathmandu, it was resolved to form study groups, which will work, inter alia, to attract Chinese tourists to the country by formulating package programmes, expanding tourism-related services and simplifying rupee-yuan exchange procedures. The meeting also agreed to promote Chinese investment in the tourism sector.

The tourism entrepreneurs have now been buoyed up by prospects for the arrival of Chinese tourists in the country. It is reported that some restaurants exclusively designed to cater to Chinese tastes have come up. This goes on to prove the rising enthusiam the tourism entrepreneurs are showing.

Although Chinese tourists are not expected to visit Nepal right now, it does hold out bright prospects for booming tourism trade in the future. They are expected to visit the country beginning mid-2002. It is interesting to note that the year 2002 will be very important for the country in several aspects. First, the UN has declared the year 2002 as the Eco-Tourism Year. Second, the year will also be observed as the International Mountain Year. Third, we will be observing the year as the Destination Nepal Year.

It is, therefore, necessary that we make indelible impressions on Chinese tourists by creating a home-from-home environment. It may be hoped that Chinese tourism will add an important dimension to our tourism trade at a time when it is in the soup.

Increasing Trend Of Drug Abuse

By Pradeep Pathak

DRUG abuse has become a serious problem in the present world. It has been estimated that there are about two hundred million drug users in the world. The addiction, abuse and illegal trafficking of drugs have posed an exigent and persistent threat to the health and wellbeing of the people in the world. A large number of young people and juveniles have been found indulging in it. It has brought negative consequences in all structures of our society both economically and culturally. The demand for drugs has generated violent criminal activities and corruption in the communities. Organised criminal groups are involved in the illicit transactions or trafficking of drugs. In spite of the collective effort made by various countries to eradicate narcotic drug abuse, the problem has still remained a burning one. The yearly reports of the United Nation International Commission on Narcotics has stated clearly that the problem is increasing, not decreasing.

The harmful effects of drug abuse have not left our country untouched. The number of drug addicts, here, is large and most of them are between fifteen to thirty years of age. In general, drug dependants are seen more among young and unmarried urban males suffering from family disturbances, misguided youth from affluent families and those school and college drop outs having economically miserable conditions. The youngsters who are not under proper parental control and guidance and those who are frustrated by not getting proper job and education are also involved in drug abuse. The abuse of tobacco and alcohol by adolescents has also appeared to be a function of their newly acquired adulthood. The most abused drugs are alcohol, heroin, cannabis (bhang, charas, ganja), hashish, opium, morphine, cocaine, codeine, vallum and tdgesic injection.

The effect of drug abuse has resulted in the accident, suicides and the loss of life. It has not only damaged the physical and psychological health of the users but also led to other criminal offences such as murder, theft, prostitution and bribery. The crime involving violence mostly on the part of the middle and upper class youngsters, though reported sporadically, is much more baffling. It has brought untold misery to individuals, communities and society as a whole. It has destroyed the peace of the family as well as the security of the society. The society is being diseased since there is no respect for law and order and order and the authority. Worse still, the people look unhappy and weak because they lack proper attention and get themselves involved more and more in consuming drugs. Drugs can lead to serious liver, heart and lung problems resulting in cancer. Needle sharing by the drug users has been a major cause of transmission HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis thus destroying human potential, particularly young persons, of working age. Its serious effects on national development and the economy should also be acknowledged. In fact, drug abuse is draining economics and wrecking families, fueling terrorism and organised crime around the world.

Drug abusers of all kinds are increasing in numbers, covering more areas, affecting people of various age groups, especially adolescents, and resulting in a more serious situation. This tendency, if not effectively controlled and properly corrected in time, is sure to aggravate the condition not only in drug related field but also in the entire society. Failure or even reluctance to take effective measures is sure to bring social as well as economic mishaps among young people. So immediate action must be taken to control and, eventually, eradicate the drug abuse. Such action must be well researched, planned and coordinated, government and non-government organizations must join hands with the international community to work towards a common stated goal. Prevention is better than cure. So quick action should be taken to discourage people, particularly youth who are not in drug abuse, from trying or taking drugs in the first place. Such preventive measure is essential in order to try to reduce the extent of drug abuse and its effects on society in the long run. The following are the primary steps to be taken for preventing drug abuse.

Extensive and regular programmes should be performed to promote greater awareness and community participation against the use of drug. Curricular and extra- curricular drug prevention programmes should be provided to all school and college students. The media and other communication channels should be effectively utilized for the prevention of drug abuse. Drug reduction and prevention programmes should be extended, developed and delivered in the workplace. An environment should be created to discourage the use of drugs. New research in drug abuse trends and patterns, as well as effective prevention techniques should be supported and encouraged.The agencies concerned with the enforcement of law should be upgraded and activated and the legislative measures should be effectively implemented in preventing the drug abuse.

It is essential that drug abuse should be approached in a comprehensive way with the involvement of community, government, educational institutes, health groups, law enforcement agencies and the courts. It should be dealt with at all levels as it is a problem of all of us.

Linking Tibet With Railway

By Christopher Bodeen

BUILDING a railway to Tibet across lofty mountain passes and frozen plains isn’t just an engineering challenge for Shi Jiaming. It’s a moral duty.

"Tibet has been without the railway, but now they will have the same great things and great life as us," said Shi, who oversees dozens of workers in a treeless gorge that the tracks will pass through.

Sentiment among Tibetans could hardly be more different. They worry the railway - from the western Chinese city of Golmud to the fabled Tibetan capital of Lhasa - will bring floods of Chinese settlers, erode their culture and threaten their livelihoods.

The dlrs 3.3 billion project will be China’s biggest investment in Tibet since communist troops occupied the Himalayan region in 1950. It’s not much less than the dlrs 4.8 billion that official figures indicate Beijing has spent over five decades building public facilities in Tibet and subsidizing the influx of Chinese migrants.

Chinese officials talk up the railway’s economic potential. But it also will strengthen Beijing’s political grip. The trains would allow quick deployment of troops to put down Tibetan protests like those in the late 1980s against Chinese rule and to guard the frontier with India, which fought a border war with China in 1962.

The line will "exert a far-reaching impact in political, economic and military terms," state media quoted China’s vice minister of railways, Sun Yongfu, as saying earlier this year.

The Tibetan government-in-exile led by the Dalai Lama says the railway will damage Tibet’s environment and allow Beijing to plunder its resources.

Tibetans already complain that Chinese settlers are pushing them aside.

"We’re not anti-development, but we’re scared of all the Chinese coming. They have the government’s backing, so what can we do?" said a Tibetan trader buying clothes in Golmud for resale. She wouldn’t give her name.

Builders like Shi can barely understand such sentiments. They work with almost missionary zeal in barren mountain passes in Qinghai province, where Golmud is located. Bulldozers are piling dirt for embankments. Some 11,000 workers are assigned to the project.

"Golmud’s a great place. Lots of development, lots of opportunities," said Lai, a Chinese farmer from Sichuan province who was riding the last leg of the existing line to take a construction job in Golmud.

Laying track is scheduled to take six years. The route runs 1,118 kilometers across the high-altitude Tibetan plateau, at one point crossing a pass 5,030 meters above sea level.

The technical challenges are immense and working conditions punishing.

Tracks can buckle in winter as temperatures drop to minus-37 degrees centigrade. The ground shifts as it freezes and melts. Work virtually stops from October through April. In the thin air, almost any effort is exhausting. By November, 50 workers had been hospitalized with altitude sickness, the Railways Ministry said.

But builders won’t contemplate failure.

"We took on the task. We are absolutely confident we can complete it," Shi told reporters who visited the camp where his crew is casting concrete sections for a railway bridge.

Studies on a railway to Tibet were ordered in the 1950s by communist founder Mao Tse-tung. But work was shelved due to engineering obstacles, lack of money and repeated political upheavals.

China announced last year that it had solved the technical problems, and work camps sprang up this summer.

Historically, much of Qinghai was the Tibetan province of Amdo. But reporters taken on a government-organized tour of railway construction sites in the province saw no Tibetans or members of other local ethnic groups working on the project.

Even ethnic Chinese will face economic disruption as freight trains replace trucks that make the six-day round trip from Golmud to Lhasa, which lies at 3,683 meters. Truckers and the garages and other businesses that serve them will have to find new income.

"The train will cost lots of jobs, so we’re worried," said Xu, a trucking agent in Golmud. AP