NATIONAL7Spotlight Weekly)]

Anxiety Abroad

The series of blows hitting the industry troubles a Britain-based organization promoting tourism in Nepal

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

"The series of sad events that occurred in Nepal one after another has badly hurt the tourism sector," said Raja R. Giri, founder secretary general of Friends of Britain and Nepal-Nepal Tourism Organization (FBNNTO). The organization is based in Britain and has been active in promoting tourism in Nepal.

"Starting with the plane hijack, subsequent incidents like the Hrithik Roshan episode, hotel strikes, the unimaginable royal massacre, the Maoist insurgency and now the suspension of European flights by the RNAC and the consequent negative publicity in the media have hit the industry," said Giri, who is currently in Kathmandu to "say few things about the current situation".

"It is really tragic that such things are happening at regular intervals in the country. But we have to move on and we have to save the industry," he said. "Otherwise, we will begin to feel ashamed of even saying that we are Nepalese."

Giri, who left for Britain in 1994 to study computers, later thought he could serve his motherland better by getting an education in tourism, a sector that he believes has vast potentials. "I found Nepal even smaller looking from there. I decided I must do something and hence started meeting people and later founded FBNNTO," said Giri, who is currently studying Masters in Travel and Tourism Management at University of Portsmouth.

During the Visit Nepal Year 1998, Giri worked as coordinator under the Royal Nepalese Embassy in London for the whole British market. Later, with the help of Nepalese students and other well wishers, he founded FBNNTO. "In fact, I was encouraged by the late King Birendra who exhorted me to give institutional framework to what I had been doing during his visit to London once," said Giri.

The FBNNTO has been organizing seminars, talk programs, familiarization trips and other promotional events ever since. A year ago, it opened the first Nepalese tourism information center outside Nepal in London.

It has also been maintaining close relations with the Nepal Tourism Board "though we have not yet received financial help from them. Till now we are managing from the funds provided by students but that is not going to make us sustainable," said Giri, hoping the authorities would recognize and help FBNNTO in its efforts. The organization also publishes a travel journal called "Kingdom in the Himalayas".

The organization is also planning to hold a mega-event called Nepal in Britain during the festival of Tihar (in November) this year. "We will be inviting some artistes from here and we are also planning to broadcast the event live by NTV and Radio Nepal."

Motion Picture Awards

Tulasi Ghimire's "Darpan Chhaya" swept most of the awards at the 4th Motion Picture Awards organized by Nepal Film Association (NFA). "Darpan Chhaya" not only bagged the best film award but its director Ghimire and actor Dilip Rayamajhi also bagged best award in the respective category.

Actor Uttam Pradhan also bagged the best male debut from the same film. Bipana Thapa won the best actress award for "Muskan". Comedian Gopal Raj Mainali celebrated double joy this year as he and his daughter Sajja Mainali won the best comedian and best female debut award for "Nau Danda Pari". Devika Pradhan and Ram Krishna Dhakal bagged best female and male singer award for "Maiti" and "Ashirwad" respectively. Pawan Mainali won the best villain award for "Pinjada" and Sachin Singh was noted as the best music director. Renowned director Yadav Kharel was awarded with the "Mahendra Sadhana Samman" for lifetime achievement. Senior film personalities including Madan Krishna Shrestha, Hari Bansha Acharya, Bhuwan KC, Shambhujeet Baskota, Prakash Shrestha, Bharat Shakya, Mithila Sharma, Basanta Shrestha, Krishna Malla and Mohan Sharraf were given special awards in recognition of their contributions to the sector.