Waiting For Revival
At a time when its tourism sector is facing one of the worst crises in its five decades long history, Nepal is celebrating the World Tourism Day by organizing various programs and promoting Nepal as a safe tourist destination this week. Along with other governmental and private sector, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), a national organization in the form of partnership between the government and private sector, their common worry is how to revive Nepal’s tourism. Although unilaterally the insurgents have already announced a temporary cease-fire, political instability continues to grip the country, as there is no sign of reaching solution between the country’s legitimate political forces. With all these political scenario and possibility of re-eruption of violence, the task of reviving the tourism sector is going to be very difficult
By KESHAB POUDEL
“Nepal is a safe and beautiful place in the world with varieties of mountain peaks, green forests and cultural and religious monuments. Moreover, Nepalese are very friendly people,” this is the impression a group of Turkey’s journalists got following their recent visit to Nepal.
Invited by the NTB and l ed by honorary consular general to Turkey Dr. Gunsely Maskob, a group of 14 journalists from Turkey visited different parts of Nepal. “It is difficult to see cheerful face in Europe but we have seen all Nepalese are cheerful. Please keep on your cheerful face,” said a Television journalist. “We find Nepal’s situation completely different than what it is projected in international media.”
Despite the violent insurgency of last 12 years and killing of more than 12,000 Nepalese, no foreign tourist has ever been physically hurt by the warring factions. As there continues to pour in hostile publicity in international arena, the psychological situation is such that Nepal is likened as one of the most unsafe venues.
As their primary concern is towards the safety of their citizens, foreign countries issue travel advisories. From Nepal’s close neighbors to friendly countries around the world, Nepal’s image has been projected as unsafe venue.
This is not for the first time when foreign journalists visiting Nepal expressed these kinds of impression about Nepal. Earlier, many other groups of journalists have shown similar kinds of expressions. Thanks to NTB’s initiative, more than 200 journalists from India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Britain and other countries have already visited the country.
“Our efforts to bring the journalists are supporting to increase the arrival of tourists from those countries changing the public mood about the safety and other situation in Nepal,” said Tek Bahadur Dangi, chief executive officer of Nepal Tourism Board. “We are able to build the confidence among tourists that Nepal is a safe destination.”
Along with the journalists, NTB has also been making efforts to build the confidence among tourists by inviting Nepal-based foreign ambassadors to speak on the situation. Just a few months ago, French and British ambassadors spoke to media highlighting the situation of tourist safety in Nepal.
With the introduction of new packages by air operators like Royal Nepal Airlines and Cosmic Air, the numbers of tourist arrival from India and Bangladesh have drastically increased. Operation of Air Nepal International will also contribute to bring in more tourists.
According to the NTB, the arrival of tourists has increased by 16 percent in the month of August compared to the same month a year ago. The information made available by the Board showed that 25,974 tourists visited the country in August this year- more by 3663 than during the same month of previous years. The increase in the tourist arrival was propelled by huge increase in the arrival of Indian tourists- by 80 percent. The arrival of tourists from European countries and America declined by 22 and 1 percent respectively. In the eight months of 2005, a total of 157,184 tourists visited the country- 17 percent less than the same period previous year.
Diversification of Market
Nepal has everything to sell in international tourism markets - from mountains to cultural and historical sites. Nepal’s tourism sector is yet to tap this diversity of market and is still confined to certain areas.
“We must develop infrastructures like International Airport in other parts of the country like in Pokhara. Since Pokhara already has facilities for hospitability, it can be developed as an alternative to Kathmandu,” said Prasiddha Bahadur Pandey, general secretary of Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) and general manger of Shangri-La Group of Hotel. “The problems now are that if something goes wrong in Kathmandu, it will affect them all.”
Nepal’s mountains are still popular destinations for mountaineers. In 2005, 94 mountaineers conquered the summit of Mount Everest including a new record set by Apa Sherpa who climbed Everest for record 15 times.
Tourists Declining
Although the tourist arrival in Nepal started to decline just after negative publicity in India in the aftermath of hijacking of IC 814, mysterious Royal massacre in June 2001 and the Maoist assaults in November 2001 further eroded Nepal’s image as a safe and peaceful destination. The numbers of tourist arrival declined from about 500,000 to about 250,000 in the previous years. As the government is in no position to hold the elections, the country will not have representative governments any time soon. So, there will continue to be an unaccountable government - which cannot take major decisions aimed at reviving the tourism industry.
The decision to close down Blue Star Hotel, a four star hotel in Kathmandu and Blue Bird, a four star hotel in Pokhara, has already sent a wrong message. If tourism industry cannot revive any time soon, more hotels could follow the suit.
In the last five years, Nepal’s tourism industry has been facing major set backs one after another and many hotels have already expressed their inability to pay the loan they have taken from the commercial banks. Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) has been lobbying to declare the hotel industry as a sick industry with a demand to waive off interest rated for a certain period of time.
“If government does not support us, we will close down all our hotels. We are not in a position to pay money to banks,” said a hotelier.
Nepal’s hotel industries sell just about 50 percent of the beds they have even during good tourist arrivals like in the year of 1998,1999 and 2000. According to a study, there were just 48 percent of bed used by tourists in 1998, 53 percent in 1999 and 44 percent in 2000. It declined to 34 percent in 2001 and just 18 percent in 2002 and 23 percent in 2003. There are actually 1.4 million of beds in the country.
Although the first eight months of tourist arrival in the year 2004 was excellent and the trends indicated that the industry was recovering, the mysterious events of September 1, 2004 again shattered the hopes. The tourist arrival in first five months of 2005 was significantly lower.
Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, it has badly affected arrival of long-haul tourists. The share of European, American and Australian tourists have reduced dramatically. Despite the recognition of outbound tourist destination by China, Nepal is yet to benefit from it.
Upsurge of Private Airlines
Despite difficulties and suspensions of operation by some international airlines, two private airlines have started international flights targeting regional market. Along with Royal Nepal Airlines, Nepal’s first national flag carrier with immense contribution in promoting tourism, Cosmic Air, the first private airlines to fly international sectors with jet aircraft has also made immense contribution to inject breath on the tourism. The role of Air Nepal International, which has just started its operation in two potential tourism market - Thailand and Malaysia, is to be seen.
Thanks to the package with special fares by Royal Nepal Airlines and Cosmic Air, arrival of number of Indian tourists was drastically increased in the month of July helping to increase overall tourist arrival.
Forecast for international tourists’ arrivals to South Asia show that there will be almost 19 million arrivals in 2020.The tourism 2020 vision study forecasts that there will be almost 17 million outbound tourists’ arrivals generated from South Asia in the year 2020. The individual inbound country forecasts for the main tourist destinations within south Asia show that Nepal will receive fewer than 2 million tourists.
Nepal’s current problem is not lack of good destinations and venues but the international credibility and image. Once the peace and sense of political stability is restored, tourism industry will revive.
