Religious tourists throng Muktinath Temple

Religious tourists throng Muktinath Temple
Muktinath Temple

Muktinath Temple

The famous holy shrine in Mustang district, Muktinath Temple, has been seeing an overwhelming number of tourists in the recent days. According to Krishna Prasad Subedi, the Chief Priest of the Temple, religious tourists have been thronging the Muktinath Temple in some 100 number in a day after, Chaite Dashain and Ram Nawami.

Muktinath Darshan

The 108 waterspouts at Muktinath Temple

With the influx of tourists, the hoteliers in Kagbeni, Jomsom, and Marpha among others are also elated for getting good business.The onset of tourist season has also added to the increment in the number of tourists here, shared Subedi, adding that the place is believed to attract more tourists in coming months.

It is believed that one who makes offerings at Kagbeni in memory of the deceased ones and visits Muktinath Temple will get his/her wishes fulfilled.Since the temple hold religious significance for both Hindus and Buddhists, the place also receives
as many as religious tourists from India and China. It takes an hour of drive from Kagbeni to reach Muktinath Temple.

Source: RSS

Tourism fraternity welcomes plan to organize Visit Nepal Year

Tourism fraternity welcomes plan to organize Visit Nepal Year

Tourism entrepreneurs have welcomed the idea to celebrate Visit Nepal Year (VNY) campaign in 2017 or 2018, assuming that reconstruction and rebuilding works will be completed by then.

It its Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report, National Planning Commission (NPC) has suggested organizing VNY campaign in 2017 and 2018 to rebuild and rebrand Nepal’s tourism image.

Tourism entrepreneurs say the campaign would be effective in promoting Nepali tourism brand in international arena and help bring more tourists. They, however, are for implementing the campaign under public private partnership (PPP) model, saying that the government alone cannot re-brand and promote Nepal in the international market.

Kathmandu-durbar-square

PDNA report states that significant efforts and resources as well as proper coordination among key stakeholders would be necessary to ensure that foreign tourists perceive Nepal as a safe destination so that the campaign can be successful.

Bijay Amatya, CEO of Kora Tours, said extensive preparations should be done so that VNY can actually help to bring not just the regular but additional tourists. “We need to focus on promoting new destinations like Dolpa, Rara, Jumla and Ilam, and organizing more international events like Indra Matta, Mani Rimdu and Everest Marathon, among others,” said Amatya.

The report estimates the decline in revenue from entry fees at cultural monuments in Kathmandu Valley will be worth Rs 600 million (US$ 6 million) over the next 12 months. However, tourism entrepreneurs say the loss can be recovered by promoting tourism as a new tourism product as people from all over the world might be interested to come and see how survivors recover and how Nepal rebuilds its cultural heritages and monuments.

“As foreigners have always praised Nepali hospitality, they might love to come and see how Nepalis come out of rubbles and focus on reconstruction,” Raj Gyawali, a tourism entrepreneur, said. “We should focus on people and recovery. The contrast of vibrant modern society with traditional values and heritage should be promoted as foreigners love and value it as they do not have it in their country.”

Among others, tourism entrepreneurs suggest to the government to promote new destinations, provide special packages for tourists, and marketing creatively with new approach for tourism recovery.

Ramesh Kumar Adhikari, chief administrator of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), said celebrating 2017 or 2018 as VNY could help a lot in tourism recovery. “We can make VNY a grand success if we work in proper coordination and make necessary preparations,” he said. He also added that NTB was planning to organize an international expo in Nepal as per the Pokhara Declaration 2015.

Tourism entrepreneurs, however, say the country should be able spread positive message throughout the world and make people feel that Nepal is safe to visit before making any announcement regarding VNY.

Andrew Jones, vice chairman of PATA, said Nepal needs to tell the world that the situation here is not that worse as seen in international media. “Before arriving Nepal, I was expecting to see whole lot of devastation as shown in different media. But when I arrived here, I was surprised to see that most of the areas in Nepal are still intact and are untouched by the quake,” Jones told Republica in a recent interview. He also suggested the government and tourism entrepreneurs to promote attractions, facilities and areas of heritage and culture, and natural beauty, that have not been affected by the earthquake.

Ramesh Prasad Dhamala, president of Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), said that government should focus on reducing aviation turbine fuel, landing and parking charges at Tribhuwan International Airport so that the air fare will be reduced automatically which will definitely help bring in more tourists. “The national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines Corporation should be strengthened, so that it can fly to different destinations in the world offering cheap fares. This will help us attract more tourists,” he added.

The recovery strategy for tourism in PDNA has four distinct phases — identifying and assessing unaffected and safe tourist destinations, creating a ‘safe trekking system’ for mountain tourism in Nepal, rebuilding and redeveloping damaged areas, and identifying and developing new tourist products and services.

If these things can be focused sequentially, Nepal will be ready to host more tourists very soon.

“Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011 campaign helped us to bring 300,000 additional tourists. If campaigns like VNY can be launched with a strong message, it is not difficult to bring more tourists here,” Yogendra Shakya, national coordinator of NTY, said.

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Source: Republica

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TAAN should be given responsibility to assess, repair trekking trails’

TAAN should be given responsibility to assess, repair trekking trails’

Visit-nepal

Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) President Ramesh Prasad Dhamala has said that the responsibility of assessing and reconstructing quake-damaged trekking trails should be given to TAAN.
Stating that TAAN has a pool of trained trekking workers, who know geography of mountain areas very well, and the expertise in trekking and mountaineering sector, Dhamala said TAAN will perform responsibility assigned to it in time and in a professional manner.
Speaking as a keynote speaker in the second session of a workshop organized by Development Committee of legislature-parliament in Pokhara on January 20, he also urged the government and the donor agencies to work together for rebuilding.  “The government should provide collateral-free soft loans to tourism entrepreneurs so that they become ready to host tourists at the earliest,” he said.
He also requested the government to reduce royalty fee to Upper Mustang and Upper Dolpa to US$ 100 for a year and waive off permit fee for other controlled areas for one year to attract more tourists. “We can attract Indian tourists by developing package linking religious sites like Damodar Kunda, Muktinath, Tribeni Dham and Pashupatinath,” he added. He also requested the government to provide salary to tourism workers, who have become jobless, for at least three months as grant.
Saying that foreign insurance companies are hesitating to insure tourists interested to visit Nepal due to negative travel advisories issued by the government, he said TAAN is ready to buy insurance cover for trekkers and mountaineers by levying fee of $50 per person.
President Dhamala was actively involved in preparation of Pokhara Declaration.
Speaking at the meeting, Andrew Jones, vice president of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), said Nepal should launch promotional campaigns to invite tourists in areas that are untouched by the earthquake. He also said preparation was underway to certify by international experts that trekking trails are safe.
Crisis Management Expert of PATA Bert Van Walbeek suggested inviting foreign tour operators to Nepal and using social media to invite people to visit Nepal. “As people are becoming tech-savvy these days, Nepalis should post positive images on social media and inform people around the world that Nepal is safe. Likewise, newsletter and news should be published and broadcast in such a way that positive message is spread all over the world”, he added.
Rabindra Adhikari, chairman of the committee, said the workshop was organized in Pokhara to spread the message that is safe for tourists. Among others, Adhikari suggested to the government to waive off visa fee for three months, waive off entry fee for Annapurna Conservation Area, and introduce travel incentive leave (TIL) for government officials for promotion of domestic tourism.
Speaking at the program, Tourism Minister Kripasur Sherpa said they can start rebuilding damaged infrastructures immediately if finance ministry releases budget for the purpose.
Likewise, Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said that the ministry was preparing plans to take tourism industry to the pre-quake level.

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Source : TAAN

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Nepal is ready to welcome tourists

On 25th April 2015 an earthquake struck the central region of Nepal in the Gorkha district just north of the main highway between Kathmandu and Pokhara.  The earthquake was followed by a number of severe aftershocks  and as a result, there were more than 8000 people found dead,  thousands more injured and it destroyed houses, trekking trails and monuments including centuries-old palaces and temples listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Maha-Shivaratri-pashupatinath

Despite damage to some of its historical and cultural monuments and trekking trails, Nepal is  now ready to welcome tourists. Some of the monuments in the  heritage sites will be reopen for tourists from June 15, 2015. Roads and air transport links remain intact across the country; the majority of hotels and restaurants are in operation.  Most trekking areas except Manaslu and Langtang have  not been damaged by the Earthquake and trekking can be undertaken any time in these areas.  Chitwan, Pokhara, Annapurna region and Bardia also escaped widespread damage, and are thus ready to showcase their abundance of natural life.  The birthplace of the Buddha, Lumbini, did not suffer damage and is thankfully all set to welcome visitors back to its sacred soil.

There are many beautiful and captivating cultural and natural sites in the West, Mid-West, Far West and East Nepal  that await tourists to welcome there.  Out of 75 districts of Nepal, only 14 districts are damaged. Apart from Langtang, Manaslu and Gaurishankar,  other  14 national parks and conservation areas including Everest, Annapurna, Kanchanjunga areas withsood the earthquake with strength and power.

The Government of Nepal request international travelers to visit the magnificent and bustling country of Nepal, and support her by visiting it as she attempts to stand proudly on her feet once again. Walk the beautiful trails in the shadow of the most magnificent mountains on earth as you help the Nepalese people reset their course on the path to prosperity.  Nepal is now embarking upon the most fascinating period in all of its ancient history, and you could be right there to see it happen and your contribution will be a part of rebuilding new Nepal.

Tourism is one of the mainstays of the Nepalese economy, and Nepal will certainly need the income that tourism brings in as it attempts to recover from this disaster.

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India okays scheme for govt staff to travel to Nepal

Fulfilling a commitment made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the SAARC summit held in Kathmandu in November, the Indian government has approved a proposal to allow more than two million government employees to travel to Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka on Leave Travel Concession scheme.

The development comes as a major boost for Nepal which was recently devastated by three major earthquakes and more than 300 aftershocks. Consequent to the natural disaster tourist arrivals in the Himalayan nation plummeted to almost zero levels causing much panic in the tourism sector which is a major contributor to the country’s GDP. Most of the hotels in Nepal have since reported largescale cancellations of bookings made by tourists, especially the pilgrimage tourists from India.

The Indian government’s decision in effect will encourage middle class Indians to travel to Nepal either on pilgrimages to Hindu and Buddhism sites or for recreational and adventure purposes. “The government decided to fast track the proposal following the earthquake in Nepal so as to boost tourism in that country which is still reeling under the impact of the earthquake,” sources at the civil aviation ministry told The Himalayan Times here.

Under the provisions of the LTC, all the government employees can travel to any destination of their choice after due process and the cost of travel would be borne by the government. Hitherto the LTC facility was only available for travel within India. The move was aimed at boosting tourism within SAARC countries. However, Indian government employees cannot use the LTC to travel to Pakistan and Bangladesh, as these two neighbouring countries have been left out for now owing to security issues.
The ministry of civil aviation endorsed the proposal so that the LTC can be availed for the time being the on national carrier Air India while flying to these countries. The private airlines flying into Nepal are likely to lobby for a chunk of the pie in this newly created segment by arguing that Air India does not have the bandwidth to meet the likely surge in traffic to Nepal.

There are around two million government employees. With the extension of the LTC scheme there is bound to be greater movement of Indians to the four countries. Considering the close people to people ties between India and Nepal, they are likely to prefer to travel to Nepal using the facility.

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Source: thehimalayantimes

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Good news for Kailash Yatries !!

Good news for Kailash Yatries !!

Booking open!!! Hurry UP!

Kailash/Mansarover is opened for Indian/NRIs entry & exit from Lhasa only. Please find the new itinerary & cost.

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Kathmandu-Lhasa-Kailash/Mansarovar-Lhasa-Kathmandu-15 Days

Day 01: Katmandu (1300 mts.) Arrival, Our reprehensive will meet at the airport and escort to the Hotel, Free at own and Evening dinner, overnight stay at Katmandu.

Day 02: Katmandu – After breakfast start to Katmandu sightseeing including Pashupatinath and Budhanilkanth Darshan, back to hotel and rest of the day is free for packing and program briefing.

Day 03: Fly to Lhasa (3650 mts.), Meet the group at the airport by the guide and transfer to Hotel.

Day 04: Sightseeing tour of the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkhor Bazaar, Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 05: Lhasa to Shigatse (3800 mts.), Visit the Tashilunpo Monastery and the free market. Overnight stay at Hotel.

Day 06: Shigatse to Saga / Dongba (4500mts. – 375kms) – After breakfast drive from Nylam to Dongba for about 08:00 hours. Overnight stay at Dongba at guesthouse.

Day 07: Saga / Dongba (4500mts. – 335kms) to Mansarovar – After breakfast drive from to Mansarovar about 07:00 hours. Overnight stay at guest house.

Day 08: Mansarovar to Darchen (4600mts. – 110kms.) – We will choose the special point to take dip in Manasarovar Lake and do Pooja of Lord Shiva. Full day free for spiritual activities. Drive around 2.30 hrs to Darchen and overnight stay there.

Day 09: Darchen to Diraphuk (4890mts. – 12kms.) – This is the first day of Kailash Parikrama. We should start our journey after breakfast as early as possible. This day we have to walk continuously for about 6 to 7 hours. Yak will carry all our goods and equipment. Overnight stay at mud House.

Day 10: Diraphuk to Zhulthulphuk (4790mts. – 22kms.) – This day is very sensitive and we have to pass Dolma-La Pass, which is 5400 mt. above sea level. The weather in unpredictable in Doma-la Pass and at any time snowstorm can fall. So we try to start our journey as early as possible. In route we can have Darshan of Gaurikund but it is very difficult to go and touch. Overnight stay in route to Zhulthulphuk at mud House.

Day 11: Zhulthulphuk to Saga– We will Trek down to Darchen later our tour starts back for Kathmandu following the same route and same system applies for all subjects of our accommodation and meal.

Day 12: Saga to Xigatse – Drive back to Xigatse, O/N stay at the hotel.

Day 13: Xigatse to Lhasa – Drive back to Lhasa, O/N stay at the hotel.

Day 14: Kathmandu – Fly from Lhasa to Kathandu, O/N stay at the hotel.

Day 15: Morning check out hotel, transfer to airport, catch flight for next Destination.
Option for early departure or you uses your extra day for Himalayan mountain flight, Manakamana road trip, or Muktinath tour (Contact Samrat Tours & Travels for more information about option day trip at additional cost).

Cost Per person:

Group Size

Deluxe Package for Indian (INR)

Deluxe Package for NRIs/Foreigner (USD)

Transport

05-09

247000.00

4175.00

By Jeep

10-16

237000.00

3995.00

By jeep

17 & Above

197000.00

3375.00

By bus

Note:

» Deluxe package based on 3* hotel in Kathmandu, 3* hotel in Lhasa –Xigatse and basic guest houses in Kailash Area.

» Single supplement US $ 450.00 extra applicable only in Kathmandu & Lhasa.

COST INCLUDES:

» Arrival & departure transportation

» KTM/LXA/KTM Air Fare With Airport tax

» Sightseeing tour of Pashupatinath, Boudhanath and Budhanilkantha.

» 3 nights hotel at Kathmandu on twin sharing basis with all meals

» Tibet side: accommodation in decent hotel/tents /Mud House.

» Pure vegetarian meals (B/F+ Lunch + Dinner) providing by our counterpart at Local Restaurant in Lhasa & Xigatse and rest part preparing by our escort.

» A/C coach/ Japanese land cruisers (4WD) & support trucks

» English speaking Tibetan guide

» Nepalese Sherpa/Cook on 06:01 basis.

» oxygen, basic first-aid kit.

» Kailash permit & normal Tibet/China visa fee.

COST EXCLUDES:

» Airfares from Home – Kathmandu – Home

» All beverages, Photography charges and Telephone calls

» Travel Insurance of clients

» Emergency evacuation expenses.

» Riding Yak/Horse for Kailash Parikrama (direct payable to Yak/horse herder)

» Expenses of personal urgent visa fee etc & Services other than specified More Details

Contact US

Samrat Tours & Travels Pvt. Ltd.

GPO Box: 20961, Gairidhara, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Tel: +977-1-4004700 / 4004701/ 4004702
Fax: +977-1-4700226
Cell: +977-9851030564 (CN Pandey) +977-9851032867 (Rajaram Tiwari)
Email:
sales@samratgroup.org   or pandeycn@gmail.com
Web: www.samratgroup.org             www.samratgroup.org/Tibet/kailash-tour.html

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