Ups And Downs
Will the ceasefire coinciding with the major tourist season result in any windfall to beleaguered tourism entrepreneurs?
By A CORRESPONDENT
For the past few years, the tourism industry has suffering from acute uncertainty as the arrival of tourists has swung to minimum. From the impressive arrival of nearly half a million tourists in 1999, the number has almost halved in the subsequent years thanks to persisting conflict and instability.
This autumn season the tourism entrepreneurs are looking forward to significant rise in the number of mountaineers and trekkers, along with common tourists as the country is witnessing a three-month unilateral ceasefire by the Maoists.
Khumbu area – the major gateway to Mt Everest – is already bustling with thousands of tourists. Entrepreneurs in major tourist destinations like Pokhara, Jomsom and Chitawan, too, are keeping their fingers crossed. They are encouraged also by the prospects of increase in the domestic tourism during the truce period.
In recent times, authorities and the private sector have also been talking about forming a crisis management cell to manage the tourism sector even during conflict period. They cite examples of countries like Sri Lanka. They want to counter what they say as negative propaganda in international media, by holding familiarization trips to foreign journalists and tour operators and mobilizing their support. Although such efforts could be helpful to a certain extent, restoration of peace and stability is always going to be of primary importance for the long-term development of tourism.
In the last few years, the tourism sector has come to virtual standstill. And this despite the fact that China – one of the largest tourism market in the world – had included Nepal in its list of Approved Outbound Destination. Nepal was one of the first countries to have been designated as Approved Outbound Destination by the Chinese government in 2001. But due to various reasons, the arrival of Chinese tourists has been minimal. While the number of Chinese outbound tourists reached 28.85 million in 2004, only 5799 of them came to Nepal. It is not that Nepal does not have destinations to lure the Chinese tourists since it boasts of 10 World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites including the Mount Everest and the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Lumbini.
India, another major tourist-generating country, has, however, helped the tourism industry here. Because of relentless campaigns and offers by Nepal Tourism Board and private sector, the number of Indian tourists has been increasing slowly.
Apart from internal situation, another major impediment to tourism development is the utter disarray in which the national flag carrier Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) lies.
The ailing corporation has only two Boeing aircraft. Although the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Buddhi Raj Bajracharya has vowed to make available aircraft for RNAC, it remains to be implemented. Tourism entrepreneurs stress that in the absence of strong national carrier, tourism sector cannot bounce back. In the past few years, the RNAC has suspended its flights European sector and is unable to efficiently operate due to unavailability of adequate aircraft.
Due to the worsening situation, a number of reputed hotels have already closed down. While Narayani Hotel of Pulchowk has been turned into a departmental store a year ago; the Hotel Bluestar of Thapathali and Hotel Bluebird of Pokhara have recently pulled down their shutters.
As such, the unfurling political scenario is certain to have deep impact on the future of tourism in Nepal. Further instability could spell doom for the sector.
