Nepal hopes for more Indian tourists for rapid recovery

Only a third of a total 30,000 seats a week under an air service agreement with India is available due to the limited number of flights between Nepal and India. Tourism entrepreneurs say that gap needs to be cut airlines to help Nepal’s tourism sector recover after the earthquake of April.

Ujjwala Dali, the officiating director of the marketing and promotion department of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), says Nepal needs to bring more Indian tourists not only to fill the remaining seats but also for the tourism industry to recover faster. In an effort to get back on their feet, four months after the devastating earthquake Nepal’s tourism entrepreneurs have travelled all the way to Bangalore and are organizing promotional events there to promote Nepal as a tourist destination and attract Indian tourists.

NTB organized promotional events at the Bangalore Press Club hoping the media there will help relay a message to the people there to visit Nepal.

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Speaking at the event, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal Chapter Chairman Suman Pandey said that recognized tour operators and renowned international organizations who had visited Nepal after the earthquake as well as positive advisories from different countries had declared Nepal a safe place to visit. Tourism was open in the country, he said.

Nepal has also launched the NEPAL: BACK ON TOP OF THE WORLD campaign to broadcast that tourism services had resumed and to help bring in foreign tourists.

At an event here in Bangalore, NTB also made public a logo and a slogan ‘NEPAL: BACK ON TOP OF THE WORLD’ to convey the message that Nepal was open for business and ready to welcome tourists.

“The logo and slogan are a part of our recovery campaign and will go on for six months. We request all of you to visit Nepal and be a part of the campaign and help Nepal rebuild,” NTB’s Dali said.

To bring in more Indian tourists to Nepal, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) launched direct flights to Bangalore on September 1, and to Mumbai on Friday after a decade’s hiatus.

“We have announced a special ‘buy two tickets get one free’ offer on round-trip tickets on Kathmandu-Bangalore flights targeting Indian tourists,” Ram Hari Sharma, the corporate director of NAC, said.

Govinda Bahadur Karki, the director general of the Department of Tourism, says that as many as 61 districts out of the total of 75 are unaffected or least-affected by the quake and were ready to welcome tourists while the 14 quake-hit districts are also getting back on their feet and rebuilding.

“After the quake, Nepal had immediately formed the Nepal Tourism Promotion Committee (NTPC) for to work on the recovery of the tourism industry. We have also formed the Nepal Reconstruction Authority (NRA) as a high-powered authority to execute recovery and reconstruction programs,” Karki said.

Pandey says Nepal is expecting to bring in visitor levels to at least 60 to 70 percent of previous times this autumn and hopes to hit the previous levels in the spring of 2016. The country received around 800,000 tourists in 2014.

NAC TO FLY TO Kolkata, SRI LANKA

NAC says it will start flights to Kolkata and Sri Lanka in the near future. Saroj Kasaju, the commercial director of NAC, says the flag carrier is working to begin flights to Kolkata directly and plan to fly to Sri Lanka via Bangalore.

NAC says it may take at least three to four months to starts flights to Sri Lanka, which would be a new destination for NAC.

“Sri Lanka as a new destination and will help augment the flag carrier’s presence,” Sharma, the NAC corporate director, said.

NepalNOW.org WEBSITE IN OPERATION

NTB and a group of tourism entrepreneurs, with support of CBI — a Netherlands-based organization — have launched a public campaign for visiting Nepal through the NepalNOW.org website. The site provides current status information about Nepal.

The NepalNOW movement has received much appreciation from tourism entrepreneurs around the globe and has already created a buzz in the social media, people from the tourism sector say.

NAC resumes flights to Mumbai

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) began scheduled flights to Mumbai on Friday.

According to a NAC statement, its Airbus 320 made fly to Mumbai from Kathmandu on Friday, carrying 52 passengers on board. The flag carrier will fly twice a week to Mumbai — on Mondays and Fridays, according to the statement. NAC has set the one-way fare for Kathmandu-Mumbai flights at Rs 11,109, while two-way fare for the service has been fixed at Rs 22,049.Meanwhile, NAC has also announced to an offer of a free ticket with the purchase of every two two-way tickets on its Kathmandu-Mumbai flights.NAC started flying to Mumbai after a gap of 11 years. The aim of the resumption of flights to the film city is to attract religious tourists, industrialists and tourists.

Source: myrepublica

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Tamang Heritage Trail opens for trekkers

Hotel Entrepreneurs Committee of Thuman, along the Tamang Heritage Trail in Lagtang Region on Thursday declared that most of the sections of trail are safe and ready to welcome visitors.

Tamang-Heritage-Trekking

Speaking at a program organized in Kathmandu, the entrepreneurs said hotels and lodges in Syafru, Gatlang, Tatopani, Nagthali, Thuman, Timure and Briddhim are safe and open for business. “There is no problem in the heritage trail,” Tshering Lama, a local hotelier, said.

“As 90 percent of homes and hotels in the Langtang region have been damaged by the earthquake, it is difficult for people to believe that Tamang Heritage Trial is still safe,” Lama said, adding, “As the trail as well as most of the hotels and lodges is intact, concerned authorities should help us to promote the trail.”

According to local hoteliers, most of the hotels and lodges along the heritage trail are made of wood and hence are completely safe.

Ramesh Kumar Adhikari, administrative chief of NTB, said the notion that the Langtang Region is completely devastated is wrong and hence has to be corrected. “Local entrepreneurs are ready to welcome tourists in the region and tourists have started getting Trekking Information Management System (TIMS) card for visiting the region,” Adhikari said.

Local hoteliers suggested trekking operators to devise attractive packages to woo more trekkers. “As the tourist season is coming, we must work out some packages or offer discounts for at least this autumn to attract more tourists,” he added.

Local hoteliers say they can accommodate 200 trekkers per day. They have also asked concerned authorities to allocate some budget for rehabilitation of some damaged sections of the trail. “We have submitted our proposal to the Department of Tourism. We are hopeful that we will get necessary support and cooperation from the government,” added Lama.

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Source: Republica

Nepal Tourism Is Back On

Nepal Tourism Is Back On

Despite concerns about safety and infrastructure following the earthquakes earlier this year, Nepal has gotten the all-clear for tourism, including on Mt. Everest.

Nepal-Kathmandu-Valley-cr-getty

Following devastating earthquakes this spring, Nepal has officially been cleared to welcome tourists again, just in time for peak hiking season. Miyamoto, a structural engineering firm, oversaw a survey of Nepal’s infrastructure that was paid for by the British government. They determined that the country—as well as Annapurna, Mt. Everest, and other places favored by international tourists—is safe to visit. While the Nepalese government, which counts on tourism money to help boost its economy, is happy about the news, not everyone feels the same way.

“Travel insurance is the major problem for us right now,” Shiva Dhakal, the owner of the Royal Mountain Travel tour company, told The Guardian. “Travelers from the U.K. are scared.” The survey’s methods also drew concern, as it was pulled together in a short amount of time, leading some critics to argue that it wasn’t entirely thorough.

But not everyone is put off. Tauck, a U.S.-based tour operator, has announced that its previously scheduled Nepal visits this fall will go on as scheduled. The 17-day itinerary is primarily across India but includes three days in Kathmandu. Tauck corporate communications manager Tom Armstrong told Condé Nast Traveler that he felt confident sending travelers back to Nepal after his own partners there had okayed the venues they would be visiting, including the famed Dwarika’s Hotel.”We’ve been in consultation with all of our partners in Nepal since the earthquake,” he said. “We sent one of our employees, who has been to Nepal many times, in [early] July to go visit all the places our guests visit on our tour. He inspected them and found that, much to his surprise, it was better than anticipated. Based on the media coverage, there were a lot of areas that were better than he expected them to be.”

Nepal Reopens Earthquake-Damaged UNESCO Sites

The Tauck itinerary in Kathmandu includes a flight seeing trip through the Himalayas, a Q&A with a Sherpa, and a visit to the historic village of Bhaktapur. It doesn’t involve any mountain climbing, one of Nepal’s riskiest outings. The only change to the itinerary, Armstrong reports, was a planned visit to Durbar Square, one of the UNESCO sites in Kathmandu that was seriously damaged during the quakes. It has been replaced with a visit to a similar monument in less-precarious condition. “It’s definitely not intended to be an adventure itinerary,” Armstrong added. “The Nepal component is much more about history and culture. Typically, this [tour] appeals to a seasoned traveler who is culturally curious, who has traveled extensively.” He believes that people who want to help Nepal’s recovery efforts should do so by going there and spending money, as tourism is such a key part of the country’s economy.

A second Miyamoto report, this one funded by the World Bank, is due this week. It’s also expected to say that Nepal is ready to welcome back tourists.

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Source: www.cntraveler.com

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Google team: Nepal back on its feet

Google team: Nepal back on its feet

“Do you think Nepal needs more aid? Or do you think the world needs to know that Nepal is rising?”

Stacie Chan, a Google employee visiting Nepal, posed this central question at the conclusion of an event organised by Startup Weekend Kathmandu in SAP Falcha at Babarmahal on Saturday. Chan was a participant, along with 34 other people from Google, in a three-day interaction conducted by SW Kathmandu along with Nepal Rises.

Google_logo-7

More than 70 participants from Google, California-based Salesforce and Nepal pitched business ideas ranging from developing a platform for sharing disaster-related information between NGOs, locals and the government to re-establishing the reach for the Nepali media outlets so that international audiences are constantly updated on the post-earthquake developments. The winning business idea involved developing an online platform for effective disaster-response management.

“We have to de-mythicise this earthquake,” Chan said. She was the leader of one of the teams that proposed an initiative that would ensure that the news of the Nepali resilience and the reconstruction efforts being undertaken is communicated to the world. She said she had been keeping close tabs on Nepal since the Great Quake struck on April 25. She was devastated when she watched a documentary titled Nepal Rises and, when presented with the opportunity to experience first-hand what was happening in Nepal, she could not give up on it.

However, Chan also discussed how some of her preconceived notions of the earthquake changed when she got here. “There were so many images of disaster, destruction and horror wherever I looked on the Internet. When I got to Nepal, I kept asking myself, ‘Where are all the damaged buildings?’ I couldn’t find any,” Chan said. “Of course, I cannot forget the thousands of people who have lost their lives and thousands who are still suffering. Nepal is a beautiful place; there is so much more to it than just this earthquake. Why aren’t there images of shops opening in Kathmandu , or children walking to school? Why aren’t there images of Nepal rising?” Chan asked.

“I was pleasantly surprised as I travelled around Kathmandu ,” Chan said. “People around the globe were scared, initially—and not without reason. But now, we need to make sure that people around the world know Nepal for what it is. They need to know the brilliantly resilient Nepali people. They need to know that Nepal is rising.”

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Source: Ekantipur

Kathmandu calls on foreign tourists to visit the country

Kathmandu calls on foreign tourists to visit the country

Nepali government officials at the 39th session UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee call for the country to be removed from the danger list for travellers. In 2014, some 800,000 tourists visited the Himalayan nation. This year, this is expected to decline by 40 per cent. Just for summer and fall, bookings should drop by 70 per cent. For Nepal, tourism is a major source of revenue.  Nepal’s government is pulling every diplomatic string to get foreign embassies to change their travel advisories so that the Himalayan nation can be considered “a safe place to visit,” this according to Kripasur Sherpa, Nepal’s Culture and Tourism minister.

ATTENTION EDITORS -- THIS IMAGE IS 20 OF 29 TO ACCOMPANY NEPAL-GOD/CULTURE, A PICTURE PACKAGE ON NEPALI BOY SAMBEG SHAKYA. SEARCH KEYWORD "GANESH" TO SEE ALL IMAGES PXP01-29 Sambeg Shakya, 6, observes the Indra Jatra Festival from a window of a house of the Living Goddess Kumari in Kathmandu September 16, 2011. Sambeg Shakya was hailed last year by Buddhist priests as Ganesh, or the god of good fortune, since when he has led several processions of Nepal's better-known 'living goddesses', also known as Kumari. The centuries-old ritual, once used by now-toppled kings who thought it would make them stronger, was the climax of the annual Hindu festival of Dasain, which lasts for two weeks and has become a major tourist attraction in Nepal.  Sambeg will continue in his supporting role until he is big enough to fit in a chariot pulled by men, after which he must return to real life. Picture taken September 16, 2011. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar (NEPAL - Tags: RELIGION SOCIETY POLITICS)

Almost two months after the terrible earthquake that struck the country on 25 April killing more than 8,700 people, the authorities want to jumpstart the tourist sector, a key component of the country’s economy.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Mr Sherpa said, “the earthquake affected only a small portion of the territory and now visitors are no longer at risk. Almost 80 per cent of the country and many tourist destinations were not touched by the powerful earthquake”.

In view of this, “when foreign countries change their travel advisories and remove Nepal from their danger lists, we can restart the tourism industry thanks to visitors from the United States, Europe and Asia.”

Nepal welcomed 800,000 visitors last year, but the government anticipates a 40 per cent drop this year due to the earthquake. For summer and fall, bookings are expected to plunge by 70 per cent.

For this reason, the country’s representatives attended the 39th Session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee in Bonn in late June. On that occasion, Nepal asked foreign governments to lift the travel ban to Nepal.

Bhesh Narayan Dahal, director general of the Department of Archaeology (DoA), attended the meeting and confirmed that the organisation had accepted Nepali demands, urging other governments to take action to that effect.

According to the DoA, the earthquake damaged some 745 historical, cultural and religious monuments in 20 districts. Of these, 133 were destroyed whilst remaining 612 were partially damaged.

“We are trying to convince foreign nations that Nepal is safe, and we want to encourage them to visit our country,” said Foreign Minister Mahendra Pandey.

“Nepal is one of the most popular tourist destinations,” he explained. “Visitors can explore the mountains, the Himalayas, cultural sites and many other destinations in complete security.”

Following the appeal by UNESCO, the United States, Switzerland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Great Britain have lifted their travel advisory. Mr Sherpa noted that he met the ambassadors of India and China to ask them to encourage their citizens to visit. Together, Indian and Chinese visitors represent 30 per cent of all tourists.

“We want to tell the truth and improve our image,” said the minister. “Nepal is a safe place to visit.”

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Source: asianews.it

Pata to hold travel mart, bloggers meet

Pacific Asia Travel Association (Pata) Nepal Chapter on Wednesday announced two major international conferences, namely Himalayan Travel Mart 2016 and Bloggers Conference 2015, to be held in Kathmandu in a bid to revive the tourism industry through marketing and promotional activities.

The long-planned travel mart had been in limbo as the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) was engulfed in an extended controversy. The first Himalayan International Travel Mart was organized by the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) in 2005, attracting the participation of more than 200 tour operators from South and Southeast Asian countries.

Himalayan-Travel-Mart-2016

The second executive committee meeting of Pata Nepal decided to organize the Himalayan Travel Mart, a business-to-business event where buyers with an interest in Nepal and the Himalayan region come from all over the world. Sellers will comprise agents selling the Himalaya Saarc region and similar destinations anywhere in the world.

Suman Pandey, president of Pata Nepal, said that the mega tourism event that targets to bring in foreign buyers and a number of tourism professionals from various tourist generating countries will be held on May 29, 2016 to mark International Everest Day.

May 29 is the day when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa reached the 8,848-metre summit of Everest in 1953, becoming the first persons to stand atop the world’s highest mountain.

The event will be held with the coordination of the Tourism Ministry, NTB, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) and the private sector.

The April 25 earthquake has hit the tourism industry hard. It is one of Nepal’s major foreign exchange earners, and the country is expected to lose at least 40 percent of the potential arrivals as a result of the disaster.

Luring tourists back may be an uphill battle. Despite the overall estimated damage and losses, the tourism industry remains resilient and optimistic about executing a turnaround in the medium to the long term with concerted efforts from all the stakeholders and support from the government, Pata Nepal said.

“Although, there is plenty of time to host the conference, we decided to take it as a campaign from now to grab visitors’ attention that Nepal is ready to welcome tourists anytime,” Pandey said.

Meanwhile, Pata has also decided to hold a first ever Bloggers Conference by the end of September this year. The move aims to bring at least 50 top bloggers from around the world to Nepal and give them a first hand instant update on the country’s various locations and experiences. The objective of the campaign is to promote the tourism recovery campaign in Nepal through the digital media platform.

Pata will also organize a familiarization trip for tour operators from various source markets this year. The tour operators are among the agents who send a large number of tourists to Nepal.

On the human capital development front, Pata has finalized conducting workshops with Prof Kaye Chon, Dean, Hotel and Tourism Management of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Damian Cook, CEO of E-Tourism Frontiers.

Pata Nepal’s executive committees include representatives from the Tourism Ministry, NTB and NAC.

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Source: Ekantipur

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