Asia’s Top 10 Destinations for Vegetarian Travelers

Asia’s Top 10 Destinations for Vegetarian Travelers

Living as a vegetarian is often a challenging life in many parts of the world. The problems may get worse if you love traveling. Luckily, there are many places which are veg-friendly. Some countries listed below have vegetarian tradition deeply rooted into their culture for ages while some of them have recently developed as veg-friendly destinations.

  1. India

India has more vegetarians than anywhere in the world. Traditional beliefs in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism inspires people to be vegetarian. The Indian menu is often filled-up with majority of veg dishes. Ingredients like heat, rice, roots and pulses are major ingredients of Indian food. You will find variety of dishes as you move to different parts of India. Dishes like Idli, Dosha, Uthappam with rice as major ingredient is found in Southern India. Northern India offer dishes like Roti, Naan, Samosa with wheat as major ingredient. Happycow has listed 440 veg-friendly restaurants but you will find thousands more when you visit the country.

Idli and Samber found in Southern Part of India.

Idli and Samber found in Southern Part of India.

  1. Thailand

With attractions like diving sites, sandy beaches, tropical islands, Buddhist Temples and archaelogical sites, Thailand is one of the major tourist destinations in Asia. Thanks to its large Buddhist population, you will be able to find plenty of vegetarian restaurants in Thailand. Chiang Mai alone has over 80 veg restaurants. Happycow list 612 veg-friendly restaurants in Thailand. Dont miss out tom yum soup, pad thai, salads and coconut-milk based curries.

Tom Yum soup in Thailand

Tom Yum soup in Thailand

  1. Israel

With numerous tourist attractions including Dead sea, Negev desert and plenty of religious and cultural places, Israel has been a major tourist attraction. There has been a vegan revolution all over Israel in past few years. 8% people in Israel follow vegetariasm and you will be able to find veg dishes almost everywhere. Vegan restaurants are being established everywhere. Happycow lists 279 veg-friendly restaurants in Israel. Dont miss out Hummus, Sambusak and Pita bread if you ever visit the country.

  1. Nepal

With 8 of worlds highest ten mountains, Nepal is a paradise for trekkers and people who love extreme sports. As the majority of the people in Nepal are Hindu or Buddhists, vegetarianism is widely adopted all over Nepal. You will often find at least one vegetarian dish in Nepalese menu. Indian veg-dishes are also available all over Nepal. Happycow lists 56 veg-friendly restaurants in Nepal but you will find thousand more if you visit the country. Dont miss Nepali Veg thali (Dal, Bhat and Tarkari), Veg Momos (Dumplings) and Ju Ju Dhau (Yoghurt made in Bhaktapur) in Nepal.

Assamese_thali

Typical Nepali Thali (Dal, Bhat and Tarkari)

  1. Taiwan

With 13% people following vegetarian diet, Taiwan is often considered a heaven for vegan travels. There are more than 6,000 places serving vegetarian dishes in Taiwan. Taiwan has the best vegetarian labelling laws in the world. Dont miss shuǐ jio (Dumplings), glǐ (Japanese style curry) and tiey ban fàn (Steel-Cooked rice) if you are vegan visiting Taiwan. Happycow has a list of 436 veg-friendly restaurants in Taiwan.

Shuǐ Jiǎo (Dumplings) popular in Taiwan

Shuǐ Jiǎo (Dumplings) popular in Taiwan

  1. Vietnam

Vietnam has risen as one of the most affordable travel destination for people who love landscapes, beaches and rich culture. Buddhism is practiced by majority of the population due to which you can find vegeterian food almost everywhere. Its better to say I only eat Buddhist foods as a way to explain being vegan as word vegan or vegetarian can often confuse people. The country has dedicated Buddhist restaurants in major cities. Dont miss out pho and spring rolls. Happycow has a list of 405 veg-friendly restaurants in Vietnam.

  1. Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka can be great travel destination if you love beaches, mountains, wildlife and Buddhist Tradition. Vegetable curries are sold everywhere in Sri Lanka as most people are Buddhists who dont eat meat. Sri Lanka ranks as one of the least meat consuming countries in the world. You would find plenty of dishes with rice and coconut being the key ingredients. Dont miss out wonderful Lankan dishes like Kottu, Happer and Kevum. Happycow lists 39 veg-friendly restaurants in Sri Lanka but you will find plenty more there.

Hoppers(appa) made from coconut milk and rice

Hoppers(appa) made from coconut milk and rice

  1. South Korea

South Korea is often considered as a paradise for meat lovers. But you will find plenty of options for vegetarians as well. The best option is to go for a vegetarian restaurant like Loving Hut which has vegan chains all over the country. Vegeterian dishes are also common in South Korean menu but its best to double check if there’s meat in any of the specified menu. Happy has listed 102 veg-friendly restaurants in South Korea. Don’t miss out wonderful South Korean dishes like Kimchi – fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables, Bibimbap (mixed rice) and Somandu (dumplings) made solely from vegetables.

  1. Singapore:

Singapore has been considered as one of the best city attractions in Asia by many travelers. It is often associated with the words safe, clean, green and efficient. Traveling in Singapore as a vegetarian is not a problem. Almost every food court or stall will have an Indian stall with more than one vegetarian option. Apart from Indian, you can also find Japanese, Malay and Mediterranean vegetarian dishes. Happy Cow has listed 362 vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the country.

Indian Rojtak, a popular dish

Indian Rojtak, a popular dish

  1. Jordan

Situated in Middle east, Jordan is often considered as a safe heaven in the middle of conflict. Meals in Jordan start with Mezze — an array of appetizers followed by a main course. As most of the main course are meat-based, mezze dishes like Taboon(bread), Tabbouleh (salads), hummus (Dips), falafel and gourmet can make an excellent meal for vegetarians.

Tabbouleh (salads)

Tabbouleh (salads)

Source: Travel Help

hotel in chitwan

hotel in pokhara

hotel in kathmandu

Creative Adventure Nepal

Samrat Holidays

Contact Us:

E-mail: sales@samratnepal

Pokhara tourism entrepreneurs call to lift negative travel advisories

Pokhara tourism entrepreneurs call to lift negative travel advisories

Tourism entrepreneurs in the Lake City have asked foreign governments not to issue any negative travel advisory to discourage their citizen Nepal visit in the wake of devastating April 25 earthquake. They have asked Nepali diplomatic missions abroad to take initiatives for the end. Due to such negative advisory after the massive earthquake, they argued, flow of Chinese tourists has significantly decreased. After the devastating earthquake, the Chinese government had asked its citizens not to visit Nepal for safety concerns. However, six tourists including five journalists from Kunming Municipality of Yunnan Province of the northern neighbor visited Pokhara to know the reality.

tourists-in-pokhara

Tourists enjoying on the bank of Phewa Lake in Pokhara in an undated file photo. Photo: THT

At a programme organized by Pokhara Tourism Revival Committee (PTRC), tourism entrepreneurs of Pokhara requested the visiting Chinese journalists to help promote positive views about Pokhara visit after the devastating earthquake. PTRC Vice-Coordinator Bishwo Palikhel informed that there is a good relation between Pokhara and Kunming city of China, so the media persons must help promote the visit of Pokhara for the enhancement of tourism sector rattled by the earthquake.

After the devastating earthquake, Chinese tourists had feared to visit Pokhara, but now if the Chinese journalists spread positivity, again there will be the flow of Chinese tourists, informed Palikhel. The journalists also promised for promotion of positive views to attract Chinese people toward Nepal. Entrepreneurs also emphasized for exchanging two countries journalists to enhance the tourism sector.

Follow and share our more detail from our social media ; Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

Source: The Himalayan Times

hotel in chitwan

hotel in pokhara

hotel in kathmandu

Creative Adventure Nepal

Samrat Holidays

Contact Us:

E-mail: sales@samratnepal

Nepal sees 1,635 trekkers after the earthquake

Even though the number of foreign tourists has gone down drastically after the devastating earthquake of April 25, adventure lovers are still enjoying trekking in the mountains of Nepal.

Altogether 1,635 foreign tourists enjoyed trekking trips in Nepal after the earthquake till August 18, statistics of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) shows.

According to the statistics, 296 free individual trekkers (FITs) have enjoyed trekking trips in Nepal after the earthquake.

The number of trekkers, however, is down by 80 percent compared to figures of same period last year. In the same period last year, NTB and TAAN had issued 8,854 TIMS cards.

NTB issues TIMS cards to FITs, while TAAN distributes TIM’s cards to trekkers traveling in groups.

Trekking-in-Nepal

NTB issued 35 TIMS cards in May, 64 in June, 96 in July and 100 till August 18. It had issued 558 TIMS cards in May, 431 in July and 566 in August. NTB doesn’t have figures of June last year as its daily activities were affected in the month due to protest of Joint Tourism Coordination Committee (JTCC).”

“Nepal has not closed any trekking area after the earthquake. We have been providing TIMS cards to interested trekker”,” Ramesh Adhikari, chief administrator of NTB, said” “After the earthquake, Annapurna Region has become the most preferred destination of trekker”.”

Similarly, TAAN has issued 1,339 TIMS card after the earthquake. It issued 590 TIMS cards in May, 143 in June, 340 in July and 266 till August 18. The association had issued 3,150 TIMS cards in May, 593 in June, 1,627 in July and 1,929 in August.”

“It is good to note that adventure lovers are still trekking in Nepal in the post-quake situation that too in monso”n,” Adhikari said, addin”, “We are working to normalize the life of the people in major trekking areas. Our focus is on reconstruction and maintenance of trails and bridges so that people can trek in Nepal without any hassles in the coming seas”n.” He also said even local community of different trekking areas has taken initiative to rehabilitate trails and welcome tourists.

Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, with the help of international agencies like World Bank and Samarth, has carried out assessment of trekking trails in Everest and Annapurna regions. Miyamoto International, a global engineering firm, carried out assessments of trails in both the regions and declared that most of the trails there are unaffected by trek and safe to visit.

Sagar Pandey, general secretary of TAAN, said they were planning series of events for the revival of trekking in Nepal. For the coming New Year, we are planning ‘New Year Walk in Langtang Region’ and Anniversary Walk on April 25 in one trekking ar”a,” Pandey sai”. “Nepal Adventure Week, which is being held in October, will help in promotion of adventure tourism as the event will see participation of representatives from different international tour operato”s.”

Follow and share our more detail from our social media ; Facebook Pinterest and Twitter.

Source: My Republica

hotel in chitwan

hotel in pokhara

hotel in kathmandu

Creative Adventure Nepal

Samrat Holidays

Contact Us:

E-mail: sales@samratnepal

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.

Follow and share our more detail from our social media ; Facebook Pinterest and Twitter.

Source: Ekantipur

hotel in chitwan

hotel in pokhara

hotel in kathmandu

Creative Adventure Nepal

Samrat Holidays

Contact Us:

E-mail: sales@samratnepal