Promoting Tourism Industry
Appropriate Strategies Needed

By Uttam Maharjan

NEPAL is a country of possessing natural features. The lofty mountains, rivers, lakes, cascades and other idyllic landscapes constitute the country’s valuable assets. Besides, the diverse ethnic communities and their simple lifestyles, languages, cultures, social customs and other aspects are quaint enough to attract a large number of tourists.

Nepal was virtually a closed chapter to the rest of the world until the early 1950s. It was only after the successful conquering of Mt. Everest in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary that the country was able to make its presence felt in the world arena. The country was also able to establish itself as a major tourist destination in South Asia in the 1970s.

In the initial years, the government made attempts at the institutional development of tourism industry by establishing the Department of Aviation in 1957, the RNAC in 1958 and the Department of Tourism in 1961. Likewise, the Ministry of Tourism was established in 1977 to reinvigorate the budding industry.

Tourism industry is one of the major forex spinners in Nepal, raking in about 25 per cent of the total forex earnings. The cost-benefit analysis of the industry shows that it is a unique industry that would generate much benefit vis-à-vis the cost involved. So this industry has great potential for enhancing the economy of the country.

But it should not be forgotten that tourism is a dynamic and multi-sectoral industry that requires innovation in products and services and exploration of new places. The same old programmes and places of interest cannot always attract tourists in substantial numbers. Therefore, it is imperative that new programmes be embarked upon and new tourist destinations be explored in consideration of the ever-changing tastes and interest of tourists.

At present, tourism is confined mostly to Kathmandu, Pokhara and Lumbini and some limited areas. Similarly, trekking routes are confined to Annapurna, Langtang and Khumbu. It is essential to explore new avenues of tourism development and identify and set up new tourist destinations. This would, no doubt, encourage tourists to stay longer. After all, tourists come here to refresh themselves by overcoming ennui and monotonous life.

Quality tourism counts very much at a time when various countries are vying with one another to allure as many tourists as possible. So it is indispensable in the present context to develop tourism-related products and services as per tourists’ demand. For this, infrastructure development is a sine qua non. Various facilities and amenities like water, electricity, transportation, communica-tions and health care should be adequate enough to satisfy the tourists. Besides this, good manners and behaviour towards tourists would also be conducive to winning their hearts. As a matter of fact, the Nepalese are kind-hearted and good-mannered. They can, therefore, impress tourists empathically.

Good publicity would also help Nepal to be more known in the world arena. The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), which was established in 1999 and which is the first autonomous national tourism board in South Asia, aims at publicising the country as a tourist destination across the world. The participation of the board in tourism fairs, shows and sales missions in association with the private sector certainly augurs well for tourism development. Likewise, Nepalese diplomatic missions stationed abroad could be an effective means of publicising the country as a tourist destination.

Notwithstanding the existence in Nepal of ideal conditions favouring tourism development, the tourism industry has not been able to pick up required momentum. The Visit Nepal Year (VNY) programme was a special programme designed to attract 500,000 tourists but it fell short of the target. The programme may, however, be taken as a springboard for giving continuity to such other programmes in the years ahead.

Accordingly, the government has decided to observe the Destination Nepal Year (DNY) beginning from mid-2002 with the target of attracting one million tourists. Given the national and international developments since the end of the VNY programme, the target seems to be very ambitious. The year 2001 has witnessed a decline of around 16 per cent over last year. The major causes of this decline are the June 1 Royal incident, the Maoist terrorist insurgency, burgeoning terrorist acts in the world and internal problems among travel-related organisations. The cancellation of some international flights by the RNAC during the last peak season is also responsible for a decline in tourist arrivals to some extent.

Now, with the destruction of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network in Afghanistan, the menace of terrorism hovering above Asia has subsided. Likewise, the tough crackdown clamped on the Maoist terrorists by the government is showing encouraging results. The law and order situation may, therefore, be expected to improve in the days ahead. This is indeed a good sign.

Political stability and security are great denominators that influence the tourism sector. Obviously, only a stable government can initiate effective programmes aimed at boosting tourism industry. It is anybody’s conjecture that tourists dare not visit any place, carrying their lives in their hands.

The year 2002 is expected to turn out to be a mega-tourism year for us if sustained efforts are made to boost tourism industry by embarking upon special package programmes and making positive publicity across the world. The year will be observed not only as the DNY but also as the Eco-Tourism Year and the International Mountain Year.

Moreover, now that Nepal has been registered on the list of China’s outbound destinations, Chinese tourists are expected to visit the country in great number beginning mid-2002. In the present context of the country’s tourism industry being in the doldrums, the arrival of Chinese tourists may hopefully give new impetus to the ailing industry. If we could attract even 2 per cent of 12 million Chinese tourists going on tour annually, it would substantially increase the number of tourists visiting the country. For this, appropriate strategies need to be in place.

Emancipation From Slavery

By RRS

FOR ex-kamaiya women, post liberation life has its bright patches though the price of freedom is high. After all, it is emancipation from age-old slavery.

For Shree Rami Tharuni, freedom is a life of dignity though tinged with struggle to survive. The newly acquired status has compelled her to seek new avenues for livelihood.

Shree Rami, 35, from Manpur VDC alone looks not only after her two children but also her parents-in-law. Now, she has enrolled for sewing training. She has also taken up tailoring work and the money earned helps sustain her poor family.

"Now I have some income from sewing clothes and feel capable of making it a sustainable profession," said Tharuni. She said that the Land Reform Office in Dang provided the training of sewing that made them able to stand on their own feet. "Life is comparatively easy at present."

She said that she had double responsibility—caring for the family and earning money to meet the basic needs. After her husband migrated to India for employment, the woes of Shree Rami doubled.

"My husband went to Kalapahar in India two and half years," she said. "I can’t do anything for the family as a kamaiya so I’m going to India to earn some money," her husband had told his wife before he left.

Like Shree Rami Tharuni, there are many ex-kamaiya women who have to take care of family in the absence of their male counterparts.

In line with the democratic spirit, the government announced the emancipation of kamaiyas from bonded labour some fourteen months back. Although they were euphoric over their liberation, their future hung at the mercy of landlords who were angered by the government move to waive the loans of kamaiyas. They had no shelter and had to spend their nights with the open sky as their roof. Their life was miserable. There was no concrete programme to immediately address their plight.

The condition of children and women was even more miserable. It is said that many children and women died in the different camps located in Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur district during the monsoon and winter season last year.

After great public outcry, the government moved ahead by providing them land. Up to now, the government has distributed land citizenship certificates to only ten per cent of them.

Although they are leading a wretched life, they have freedom. No exploitation, no threats and abuses by their masters. However, the ex-kamaiyas have to yet taste the fruits of liberation in real terms.

In this regard, besides the government, the role of civil society, NGOs and humanitarian organisations are important if ex-kamaiyas are given to lead a dignified life as any other citizen in the society. It is a challenging task to bring them into the mainstream of national life.

Firstly, awareness programmes related to education and health should be launched for them. As they have spent most of their life as bonded labour in the limited periphery offered by the landlords, educating them appears an uphill task. Informal education and primary health information should be provided not only to youngsters but also adult ex-kamaiya men and women

Secondly, for self-employment skill-oriented training programmes must be designed for them. The government should provide loans to them so that they could engage themselves in small income generating activities like goat rearing, dairy farming among others as envisaged by the Grameen Bikas Bank.

These are special areas for the NGOs and social organisations that speak for the social and economic uplift of the people to focus on thereby mitigating the woes of the like of Shree Rami Tharuni.