Biratnagar Awaits Eagerly

THE preparation for the civic reception in honour of His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and Her Majesty Queen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah in the eastern city of Biratnagar is almost complete. The significance of the historic event lies in the fact this is the first time, following His Majesty's accession to the Throne one and half years ago, that His Majesty the King is visiting Biratnagar and is being honoured by the people. For the past few weeks, people from all walks of life and various national as well as local organisations have been working on a war footing for the preparation. There have been reports that the Sub-Metropolitan City wears a bridal look with all sorts of colourful gates and display of national flags at different locations in order to welcome the beloved Royal Couple. The Royal Visit to Biratnagar has also triggered the stalled development works to take momentum. Roads that had long been full of potholes have now been blacktopped, streetlights repaired and the city cleaned.

The enthusiasm and excitement people have shown to receive an audience from Their Majesties is a clear evidence that Nepalese people have great faith in the Monarch who stands as a symbol of national unity and source of inspiration to all. Going by the history of Nepal, Nepalese monarchs have always played a crucial role to relieve the country from misfortunes whenever they arose. The kings of Shah Dynasty, that began with Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great who unified Nepal from petty states, have always nurtured nationalism and patriotism. They have always run the state affairs according to the will of the people, as reflected in His Majesty's commitment to Constitutional Monarchy and democracy.

The local people of Biratnagar say that they are eagerly waiting for a few words of comfort from His Majesty in the present time of crisis. The civic reception is also an opportunity for the people to understand and interact with their revered King. Therefore, it has been felt that more such visits should be arranged so that intimate relationship between the Monarch and the people can be further consolidated.

Down, But Not Out

IT came as no surprise that the tourist arrivals are down seriously. According to Nepal Tourism Board, the total number of tourists visiting Nepal in 2002 decreased by 28 per cent as compared to the figures in 2001, with tourist arrivals from third countries going down by 36 per cent. Only 215,922 visitors from different parts of the world came to Nepal by air in 2002, while the figures for 2001 was 298,456. Even though this slide represents a serious decline in the tourist arrivals, it could have been worse, what with Nepal receiving a lot of bad publicity internationally because of the ongoing violence. Additionally, the general decline in worldwide tourism was also an important factor. Given the kind of negative publicity of Nepal regarding the security situation, Nepal's tourism sector could perhaps take some consolation in the fact that the downward swing in tourism, continuously experienced for the past several years didn't dip further than what it did. Even to reach these figures, some of the promotional campaign undertaken in 2002 must have helped.

Efforts at reviving the tourism industry must be continued and stepped up. The indications that in December, the figures were better compared to the corresponding month last year, must also emit a ray of hope that things may turn for the better for the travel trade in the months ahead. Last month saw a growth of 20 per cent in the total number of tourists compared to December 2001 while arrivals from India shot up by a whopping 92 per cent. Likewise, there were 14 per cent more Japanese tourists last month, compared to the December last year. Will such an upward trend continue? Much will depend on how the travel trade responds to the crisis. Tourism entrepreneurs have said the industry collectively is not doing enough to overcome the slump. We are just waiting and watching, as one of them said some time ago at a function. This attitude must change. The government and the private sector must join hands to publicise Nepal as still a safe place for travelers, despite the Maoist problem. The promotional campaign must be intensified, with the belief that tourism may be down, but not out, And let not there be complacency on account of somewhat uplifting December numbers.