nepal tourism news today

Inside Nepal’s tourism industry and the risks travellers are willing to take

Nepal's national tourism body started the new year with a resolution.

They wanted at least a million travellers to pass through the country before the end of 2023.

After three years of pandemic-induced disruption — visitor numbers dwindled to about 151,000 in 2021, down from more than a million a year pre-COVID — it was a big goal, and they had a strategy to match.

WARNING: This story contains content that some readers may find distressing.

One of the first steps was opening a new international airport in Pokhara, a tourist hotspot and the country's second-largest city, nestled in the shadows of the towering Annapurna mountain range.

On the first day of the year, officials, industry leaders and Nepal's newly-elected prime minister gathered at the airstrip alongside the public for a grand inauguration, the date symbolising optimism for the future of a country heavily reliant on foreign tourism.

Such was the excitement that the city declared a public holiday for the occasion and strongly encouraged all residents to join in the celebration.

As Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal addressed the ceremony, no one could have predicted what would happen only two weeks later, just a few kilometres from where the lively crowd stood.

Nepal's worst aviation disaster in 30 years

On January 15, just before 11am local time, a Yeti Airlines ATR 72-500 approached the Pokhara airport from Kathmandu — a speedy trip that usually takes less than half an hour. 

A witness noticed the plane approaching at a low altitude and pulled out his phone to start filming. The footage shows the twin-engine aircraft suddenly tilt to the side, its left wing pointed vertically towards the ground, before moving out of frame.

Moments later the plane crashed into a hillside, killing all 68 passengers and four crew members on board. One Australian, 29-year-old Myron Love , was among the victims.

Investigations are underway , but it's so far unclear why the plane appeared to suddenly roll to its left as it approached the airport in clear conditions.

The small Himalayan nation — home to eight of the world's 14 tallest mountains — has a long history of aviation disasters, with nearly 350 people killed in plane or helicopter crashes since 2000. 

In May last year, 22 people were killed when a plane crashed 15 minutes after taking off from Pokhara. In 2018, another 51 passengers died when a Bangladeshi airliner came down in cloudy weather while approaching Kathmandu.

Years earlier, a History Channel documentary named Lukla Airport, near the base of Mount Everest, the world's most dangerous. 

But this tragedy marks Nepal's deadliest single aviation disaster in 30 years, and another blow to a tourism industry trying desperately to get back on its feet. 

A place like nowhere else on Earth

Most regular travellers to Nepal are familiar with the risk that comes with internal transit. Asked why they continue to travel there knowing this, the answer is often some variation of "it's worth it". 

"It's the only place my head stops thinking," says Australian academic Suzanne McLaren, who has been to Nepal three times and is planning a fourth trip next year.

"Being in the Himalayas, it's these magnificent mountains, and you are just this small dot. [The feeling] is quite hard to explain, but it's the most majestic place I've ever been."

The Himalayan nation's unique topography meant it was always going to attract trekkers, climbers and mountaineers eager to summit the planet's highest peaks. It's this landscape that also necessitates the frequent use of air travel, which provides a crucial lifeline between remote villages and base camps. 

Not only is Nepal a gateway to Mount Everest, the most famous mountain in the world at a height of 8,849 metres above sea level, it's also home to other show-stopping formations, like Kanchenjunga (8,586 metres), Lhotse (8,516 metres), and Annapurna (8,091 metres).

But travellers also remark on the friendliness of the people, the warmth of the culture, and the natural beauty closer to sea level. "I've travelled to many countries, and this is just so special, the scenery and the people," Suzanne says.

The number of international tourists travelling to Nepal has grown steadily since the country opened up midway through the last century, peaking in 2019 with 1.17 million visitors — 39,000 of them Australian.

"If you're a hiker, trekker or mountaineer, the Himalayas is a mecca," says Steve Kelly, a keen trekker who is planning his third trip to Nepal later this year.

"There is nowhere else in the world that can provide the same sense of adventure or the same awe-inspiring experience that the Himalayas provides for trekkers and mountaineers. That's why I keep going back."

Som Tamang, who runs a Nepal tour company from Australia, says bookings have just started to pick back up after years of pandemic-induced border closures and, before that, the 2015 earthquakes, which killed around 9,000 people.

"Right now, in the last few weeks and last couple of months, we've been getting a lot of interest," he says.

Nepali-born Som says he seeks to provide "a real Nepal experience" for travellers, mixing trekking and hiking with volunteering opportunities. Part of this, he says, means carefully communicating the risks associated with domestic travel in the country and providing a range of transport options to his customers.

"Even though I fly quite regularly up and down the Everest base camp … I do fear each time I go on a plane, but that's the way it is," he says.

"It's about knowing the risk, not knowing the risk is another thing."

Flying isn't the only danger

There are a number of reasons posited for Nepal's poor air safety record, some of them laid out in a  2019 report  by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

"Nepal's majestic mountains and capricious weather patterns have created a huge challenge to flight operations," the report reads, noting that "civil aviation in Nepal has been expanding rapidly".

Since last week's crash, Som says he's received more inquiries from incoming travellers about alternative transport options.

While his company doesn't use flights from Kathmandu to Pokhara, instead relying on road travel, he says short flights are necessary to reach the Everest base camp unless travellers have an extra 10 days to spare. For that route, the company offers a private helicopter option at an additional cost.

"It's definitely having an impact on people's thoughts," he says, "I truly don't think it will stop people travelling, but it will definitely impact people looking for alternative routes and alternative ways to get there rather than using domestic flights."

Flying from Kathmandu to Pokhara takes just over 20 minutes, compared to about six-hours on a tourist bus — which comes with its own danger. 

Due to the mountainous terrain, narrow and poorly maintained roads, and unpredictable weather, deadly traffic accidents are also common in Nepal. 

Less than a week into the year, six people were killed when a bus veered off a cliff in the country's west. In December, a bus accident about 90 kilometres from Kathmandu left 18 dead .

Then there are the dangers on the mountains; with more tourists crowding the trails comes increased risks of medical emergencies, altitude sickness and falls. Bad weather and avalanches are also difficult to predict and are often deadly. 

In 2015, an earthquake triggered an avalanche that wiped out a remote village 60 kilometres north of Kathmandu, on a route popular with foreign trekkers. A year earlier, an unseasonal snowstorm buried part of the popular Annapurna Circuit , killing at least 43 people.

"This kind of thing happens with monotonous regularity in the Himalayas," Steven says. 

“The answer to why do people keep going back, it’s a fairly simple one, really: because it’s the Himalayas."

Will this crash impact tourism?

The people ABC News spoke to for this story had no plans to cancel their upcoming trips to Nepal, and history suggests the incident won't be enough to deter those determined to see the country for themselves.

"At the end of the day, these are still very small risks, the rates of crashes compared to how many flights there are," Suzanne says. "But there's a greater risk there than there is elsewhere, but you weigh that up."

Melbourne resident Greg Nowotna is currently considering his options before a three-month trip later this year. In the late '80s and early '90s, he spent a cumulative nine months exploring Nepal, which he calls his "favourite place on earth".

He's now retired and the Tara crash last year and the Yeti incident have led him to rethink his plans to fly between cities.

"Now I'm obviously older, I'm not looking forward to spending eight hours on those buses because it's a very bone-jarring ride," he says. Instead, he's now planning to hire a private jeep to get him around.

But like others, the crash is not enough to make him reconsider travelling all together.

"The mountains are the biggest, most impressive thing I've ever seen in my life," he says. "Even on my third trip to Nepal, I thought I'd seen the mountains … and it wasn't going to impress me that much, but when I got there for a third time, my jaw still hit the floor."

For Suzanne, there's another motivation for going back. "The last thing Nepali people need is for tourists to stay away," she says.

When she was there in October, she says sometimes her group were the only guests staying in a lodge. "The people were so grateful to have us, they were hoping so much that tourists were coming back."

Som is confident tourists won't abandon Nepal because, "it's a bucket list [item] for people, to climb the highest mountains on Earth".

"As time goes by, unless there is another crash within the next month, then it will shake the country and tourism, but if not, it will go away from people's mind," he says.

"Anyone who's been there never regrets it."

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Nepal says tourists trekking in Himalayas must hire local guides

The rule, which will come into effect from April 1, is aimed at ensuring the safety of travellers and creating more jobs.

Nepal has made it mandatory for all tourists who trek in the country’s Himalayan region to hire local assistance, officials say.

The rule, which will come into effect from April 1, is aimed at ensuring the safety of travellers and creating more jobs, the dpa news agency reported.

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Mani Raj Lamichhane, spokesperson for the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the agency behind the decision, on Tuesday said every tourist will have to hire a guide or porter through a registered trekking company.

The new rule will apply to established trekking routes within the purview of the Trekkers’ Information Management System, where each trekker, including free independent trekkers, must obtain permission from the NTB.

The new rule, however, will not affect the climbing industry which has its own set of regulations.

“It will help ensure a safe trekking experience while allowing us to keep track of trekkers and provide timely rescue services in case of any emergency situations, ” Lamichhane said, adding the decision was taken in consultation with the country’s Trekking Agencies’ Association and Joint Tourism Trade Unions Forum.

According to Lamichhane, every year, NTB receives about 40 to 50 cases of missing trekkers along the trail, and authorities often face problems in tracking and rescuing them.

Previously, tourists were allowed to trek solo without local assistance or with unregistered guides or friends.

Nilhari Bastola, the president of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal, said that the new regulation would benefit both trekkers and the tourism industry.

“The majority of individuals who perish or disappear while trekking are those who go alone without a guide or an understanding of the terrain. These tragedies could have been avoided if they had a local guide,” he said.

Several trekking routes in Nepal are remote, often without roads, communication facilities, and are far from human settlements. In case of an emergency, it can take several hours to days to rescue trekkers in these areas due to the challenging terrain and lack of infrastructure.

The move is expected to provide a huge boost to local tourism and create employment opportunities for thousands of guides and porters whose livelihoods have been affected by the slowdown in tourism caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While most stakeholders in Nepal have hailed the decision as a win-win for tourists and high-altitude workers, there are concerns that the new rule might discourage travellers from visiting Nepal and hit the industry gradually recovering from the coronavirus pandemic .

In February, Nepal received a total of 73,255 tourists via air travel, which is nearly four times higher than the number of tourists who arrived during the same period in the previous year, according to the NTB.

Nepal is home to some of the world’s most popular trekking trails, such as the Annapurna Circuit below Mount Annapurna and the Everest Base Camp trek in the foothills of Mount Everest.

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Nepal unveils action plan for tourism revival

The Nepali government on Sunday announced a number of measures to revive the tourism industry battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a plan to declare the years between 2023 and 2033 as Visit Nepal Decade, Xinhua reported.

Unveiling the Tourism Rehabilitation Action Plan, Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Nepal’s minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation, said the government is breaking the tradition of announcing a single year as Visit Nepal Year so as to run a sustained campaign to promote tourism, a major foreign exchange earner and job creator for the country.

As per the action plan, the Visit Nepal Decade is expected to come out within the next three months.

The government plans to attract 1 million foreign tourists in the 2022-23 fiscal year which began in mid-July. “We have not yet set any target for the planned Visit Nepal Decade. We have to do further homework and consultations with the stakeholders,” Hom Prasad Luitel, joint secretary at the tourism ministry, told Xinhua.

Nepal received 1.19 million foreign visitors in 2019 and sought to attract 2 million in 2020 when Visit Nepal 2020 was launched, but COVID-19 forced the government to call off the campaign. As the pandemic persisted, the tourism sector fared poorly in 2020 and 2021.

Nepal was reporting more foreign visitor arrivals in 2022 as fewer people were infected. As of June, there were 237,670 foreigners visiting the South Asian country, according to the tourism ministry.

Under the new action plan, Nepal will launch promotion campaigns in China, India and Bangladesh, of them the former two being the largest sources of tourists for Nepal in normal years, Xinhua reported.

There is a plan as well to promote Nepal as a destination for meetings, conferences and exhibitions and spiritual tourism with packages of yoga, wellness and spa to be offered.

In addition, the ministry is mulling over retirement visas and healthcare facilities for elderly foreigners to stay longer in Nepal. Currently, there is no legal provision of issuing retirement visas in the country. “We will discuss it with the Ministry of Home Affairs which is responsible for visa issuance,” said Luitel.

As mountaineering is a key part of Nepal’s tourism, the country is planning to open more Himalayan peaks. Under the action plan, more peaks at 5,800 to 8,000 meters above the sea level will be opened for mountaineering. According to authorities, Nepal has so far opened 414 peaks above 5,700 meters for climbing.

Included in the action plan are other measures like cooperation and coordination with international airlines, GPS tracking system to make trekking and mountaineering safer, multi-lingual helpline support centers for tourists and many more facilities for foreigners who come to Nepal for movie shootings.

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Home to majestic Mt. Everest, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, and one of few countries in the world never to have been colonized, this breathtaking country covers diverse landscapes from the Himalayan Mountains in the north to the flat expansive plains in the south. Deep gorges, towering mountains, vibrant culture and charismatic people –  Nepal  is the ideal destination for adventurers and culture vultures.

Nepal Visitors is a media brand owned by Adventure Connexion. Nepal’s leading online publisher and event organizer focusing on distribution, marketing and technology developments in the travel and tourism industry. Our Nepal focus, up-to-the-minute travel news and feature stories and in-depth analysis by leading industry experts. Keep readers in touch with the latest industry trends in Nepal’s fast-growing travel space.

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Updates about latest rules and standard protocol for traveling and trekking in Nepal.

New Provision for Trekking in Nepal

FAQs about the new provision

The new rule will come into effect from April 1st, 2023. The trekkers who get the permits and start the trek before April 1st will not require a guide. But they'll need to have entered the trekking area before April 1st.

All the treks need to comply with the new rule. You can contact a trekking agency in Nepal for the guide to accompany you in mountain bikes.

Trekking Agencies in Nepal

What if I an experienced trekker and associated to a trekking/mountaineering association in home country?

The rule is applicable for all the foreign national trekkers.

Is this rule also applicable when I hike around Kathmandu? Or to Sarangkot? Where all are these rules applicable?

The Revised Provision for Trekking in Nepal must be followed only while trekking to areas where TIMS is applicable. It is applicable in all national park areas in the mountains. It is not applicable in Kathmandu Valley outskirts, Pokhara outskirts, and hiking areas in and around major cities.

Do I have to go via a trekking agency? Or is it OK so long as I have a guide?

It is mandatory to hire a licensed trekking guide through a government-registered trekking agency.

How can I find that out if the trekking agency is legit?

Trekking guide must be hired through government-registered trekking agency. You can verify information on the trekking agency from Department of Tourism and Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal .

What are the consequences if I do not follow this rule?

Not following the rule is a punishable offense.

I am a trail runner and fast packer, no agency specifically provided guides that can keep up with me. What should I do?

It is applicable to all. You must ascertain that the trekking agency can provide guide who matches your specific requirement.

I am an expat living in Nepal. Does this rule also apply to me?

Yes, the rule is applicable to Diplomats as well as Expats.

I am Nepali. Does this rule apply to me?

The rule is not applicable to Nepali citizens.

What if I go on a motorcycle ride to Muktinath?

The rule does not apply to motorcycle ride or the bus ride to Muktinath. TIMS and Annapurna area permit are required.

What are the areas requiring TIMS and permits?

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Useful links.

• Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN)
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Tourist Police: 1144/014247041

Sukraraj Hospital, Ktm: 014253396

Gandaki Hospital, Pkr: 061520067

Nepal Tourism Board is a national tourism organization of Nepal established in 1998 by an Act of Parliament in the form of partnership between the Government of Nepal and private sector tourism industry to develop and market Nepal as an attractive tourist destination. The Board provides platform for vision-drawn leadership for Nepal’s tourism sector by integrating Government commitment with the dynamism of private sector.

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Nepal Tourism Decade 2023-2032 : Tourism Sector Hopes to Set New Milestones in the Next Decade

The new tourism promotion campaign aims to bring 3.5 million tourists in the next 10 years

The Nepali tourism sector went through a tumultuous three years in the wake of the global outbreak of the coronavirus that devastated international travel. But with the subsiding of the pandemic, the sector is now buzzing with new plans, expansion, and growth strategies. The surge in tourist arrivals in 2022 along with the start of the commercial operation of Pokhara Regional International Airport and the Gautam Buddha International Airport have signaled that Nepal is ready to welcome international guests more than ever.

Developed by a four-member expert panel led by the former Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) CEO Prachanda Man Shrestha, the framework has set ambitious targets such as increasing tourist spending to USD 125 daily from the current USD 48, creating 1 million direct jobs in the tourism and increasing the sector’s contribution to national GDP to 10 percent.

The government has planned to bring the tourist numbers to pre-pandemic levels by 2024 and increase arrivals in each subsequent year by 15 percent.

The decade will have tourism campaigns organized across the country province-wise. While 2023 will be the year for preparations, 2024 will be the tourism campaign year in Bagmati Province, 2025 in Gandaki Province, and 2027 in Lumbini Province. In 2028, the focus will be on Madesh Province, while campaigns will be organized in 2029, 2030, and 2031 in Sudur Paschhim, Province 1, and Karnali Province, respectively. The year 2026 and 2032 will be marked by national-level programs.

Despite the government’s grand tourism plan, there are still some stumbling blocks that could derail the recovery prospect. For Nepal to get a good number of international tourists in the coming years, the operation of two recently built international airports is critical in this context. Tourism entrepreneurs agree there is a dire need to improve connectivity if Nepal wants to gain from the post-pandemic period in which tourist inflow is expected to surge.

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• Friday, 14 June 2024
• Gorkhapatra
• E-paper Archive

Nepal International Tourism Expo to start from today

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, June 14: To promote Nepal's tourism in the international market through a mega event, Summit Events and Markets is going to organise a two-day ‘Nepal International Tourism Expo (NITE)’ from Friday. 

The event will be organised with the support of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City with the promotion of the Nepal Tourism Board, and collaboration with various associations. 

The event is scheduled to be held from June 14 to 15, 2024 at the Bhrikutimandap Exhibition Hall. All preparations for the event are now complete, said Bishnu Pandey, coordinator of the NITE.

Speaking at a press briefing organised to inform about the NITE, Pandey said that the expo aimed at bringing together tourism-related businesses (hotels, resorts, homestays, travel/tour/trekking/mountaineering agencies, airlines) and stakeholders from both domestic and international sectors to promote Nepal's overall tourism. 

The exhibition will feature participation from 16 countries, 150 sellers, 250 buyers, and over 1,000 visitors. Similarly, Bihar Tourism and Tourism Malaysia will also be participating in the expo.

“Primarily, the exhibition will play a significant role in encouraging collaboration among tourism entrepreneurs, and it is believed that it will greatly expand international tourism networks and trade. NITE 2024 is the largest international B2B and B2C tourism exhibition being organised for the first time in Nepal,” Pandey informed.

According to him, the event also aims to bring together various national and international tourism stakeholders for a two-day networking opportunity, fostering new collaborations, and establishing sustainable partnerships. As a result, this event will serve as a major platform for increasing business contacts and promoting Nepal's tourism industry.

“The expo will feature panel discussions on various topics related to tourism. These discussions will delve into the multifaceted aspects of Nepal's tourism, paving the way for addressing current tourism policies, challenges, and solutions,” he informed.

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Friday, 14 June 2024 09:10 AM

Int’l Tourism Fair to begin from June 15 at Bhrikutimandap

Published On: June 13, 2024 10:30 AM NPT By: Republica  | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, June 13:  The International Tourism Fair is going to be held from Friday (June 15) at Bhrikutimandap with the participation of tourism entrepreneurs from 16 countries. The fair aims at promoting the country’s tourism sector at the international level.

Over 150 entrepreneurs from 16 countries will have their stalls in the fair which is being organized by Summit Event and Market, said Bishnu Pandey, the organization’s director. He said, “We believe that there will be support for sustainable tourism development in the country and the fair will help in cultural exchange.”

Nepal, India, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Maldives, the USA, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, Dubai, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Bhutan are participating in the fair.   

Additionally, the fair will have stalls from all seven provinces of Nepal. Pandey said that Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) have also supported the fair which will be held at Bhrikutimandap. 

• Int’l_Tourism_Fair

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5 reasons to choose Nepal for your next travel destination

Times of India TIMESOFINDIA.COM / TRAVEL TRENDS , NEPAL / Updated : Jun 13, 2024, 10:35 IST

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Nepal offers diverse culture, heritage sites, amazing wildlife, and a lot more to keep you hooked. It is a top destination for budget-conscious travellers with visa-free travel for Indian passport holders.

Nepal offers diverse culture, heritage sites, amazing wildlife, and a lot more to keep you hooked. It is a top destination for budget-conscious travellers with visa-free travel for Indian passport holders. Read less

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India-Nepal ties 'will prosper' under Narendra Modi's leadership: PM Prachanda

Prachanda extended his best wishes to pm modi and expressed optimism for the future course of the longstanding friendship between the two nations. .

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• PM Prachanda expresses confidence in the future of bilateral ties between 2 nations
• A meeting was held between Prachanda and PM Modi
• Prachanda, along with several other world leaders attended PM Modi's oath-taking ceremony

A day after attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's oath-taking ceremony, Nepal's PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' exuded confidence in the future of bilateral ties between New Delhi, and Kathmandu.

Recently, a meeting was held between the two leaders. Prachanda extended his best wishes to PM Modi and expressed optimism for the future course of the longstanding friendship between the two nations.

During the meeting, discussions to further enhance the multifaceted relations between the two nations were conducted.

Had a meeting with Shri @narendramodi ji. I congratulated him on his third consecutive term as Prime Minister of India. We discussed ways to futher enhance Nepal-India relations. I am confident that our multifaceted relations with India will prosper under his leadership. pic.twitter.com/jJP2uvFZ5Q — ☭ Comrade Prachanda (@cmprachanda) June 10, 2024

Nepal's Prime Minister, along with several other world leaders, including the President of Sri Lanka, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, the President of the Maldives, the Prime Minister of Mauritius, the Vice President of the Seychelles, and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, attended PM Modi's oath-taking ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital on Sunday.

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Nepal is still looking for their first win of the T20 World Cup 2024 when they face Sri Lanka in a Group D match on Tuesday at Central Broward Park Stadium in Florida.

Nepal is coming off a loss as they look to rebound in this match, in need of a win or they will need to win their last two games against South Africa and Bangladesh. On the other side, Sri Lanka is still looking for their first win of the tournament after a dreadful start and two losses.

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Reviving and rethinking tourism

Sunil Sharma

The travel and tourism sector has been hit hard by Covid-19, which is seen as the biggest crisis after World War II. It brought entire tourism activities to a standstill, impacting human life and society causing misery and leaving behind deep scathes among people in various countries and with varying degrees of severity. As the tourism sector was devastated by Covid-19, it triggered a loss of confidence among travellers and impacted socio-economic life.

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the travel and tourism sector suffered losses of almost $4.9 trillion in the Covid-19 pandemic, with its global contribution to GDP declining by 50.4 percent year-on-year, compared to a 3.3 percent decline in the global economy. There was a glimmer of hope in 2021 as tourism contribution to GDP increased by $1 trillion, up 21.7 percent in 2021 to reach $5.8 trillion, while the sector’s share of the whole economy increased from 5.3 percent in 2020 to 6.1 percent in 2021.

Additionally, the sector saw a recovery of 18.2 million jobs, representing an increase of 6.7 percent. The growth rate projection is bright which brings cheer among stakeholders as travel and tourism GDP is set to grow on average by 5.8 percent annually between 2022 and 2032, outpacing the growth of the overall economy, creating nearly 126 million new jobs within the next decade.

Further, travel and tourism GDP could return to 2019 levels by the end of 2023. However, much depends on the proactive role of the government and the travel trade sector by preparing for future crises, coexisting with Covid-19 by taking collective behaviour and individual responsibility, easing conditions in opening destinations, and providing better communication and planning.

Tourism was also hard hit in the Asia Pacific region as it registered an 82 percent drop in tourist arrivals in 2020 compared to 2019. Nepal also shows a slump in tourist arrivals. Nepal registered 230,085 and 150,962 in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Between January-August, 2022, the total number of arrivals was recorded at 326,667. Tourist arrivals in 2020 almost declined by 80 percent from 2019.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed travel behaviour. Travel behaviour involves certain decisions, activities, ideas or experiences that satisfy consumer needs and wants. Ongoing studies across the world, on the impacts of Covid-19 and the future of travel and tourism, are predicting that travel and tourism consumption patterns may change in the post-Covid-19 era.

An Economist Impact survey of more than 4,500 travellers in the region—across Australia, Japan, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand—shows that more than 7 in 10 respondents (71.8 percent) agree that Covid-19 has changed the way they think about sustainable tourism by making it more important to them.

The survey result shows that 57 percent of tourists want to avoid overtourism, while 69.9 percent are likely to avoid travelling to crowded destinations. A similar percentage (71.7 percent) shows that they are more likely to travel to destinations that allow them to avoid crowded spaces. Undoubtedly, there is an urgent need to seriously think of ways to develop practices that may help to recover and sustain tourism in the post-Covid-19 era.

After much deliberations among the member states, the World Tourism Organisation this year returns to focus on the future on World Tourism Day on September 27 with the central theme “Rethinking Tourism”, expecting tourism brings hope and opportunity to millions who are suffering due to the double jolt of both Covid-19 and the Ukraine war.

The World Tourism Organisation highlights the opportunity to rethink tourism in a better way by putting people and the planet first, and bringing everyone from governments and businesses to local communities together around a shared vision for a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient sector. The World Tourism Organisation hopes that World Tourism Day should be celebrated as the shift towards tourism is recognised as a crucial pillar of development and progress is well underway. In a nutshell, the theme is an attempt to regenerate the global tourism industry in the post-Covid-19 pandemic and war situation.

Nepal should look for new ways to reboot tourism. Recently, the government has announced 73 tourism activities, after rigorous discussions with the travel trade sector, to strengthen tourism. In Kathmandu Valley, one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in South Asia, tourism is mainly driven by its rich cultural heritage having seven protected monument zones which are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Nepal needs to move further ahead and approach UNESCO for listing in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage that brings paramount importance to the cultural values of a country. For example, 14 Intangible Cultural Heritage elements from India have now been inscribed on UNESCO’s list. Nepal with its unique culture can look forward to it. Gai Jatra and Indra Jatra carry lots of weight and have tremendous potential to reconnect with the rest of the world.

In the 1970s, Nepal pioneered wildlife tourism and was well known on tourism maps. It was much appreciated by the world. Former United States Defence Secretary and World Bank president, Robert McNamara, appreciated Nepal's pioneering approach to wildlife tourism along with conservation. Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State, was also in awe of Nepal's wildlife tourism. Former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was inspired by Nepal's forest management and tourism so much that she admitted that there were lots of things to learn from Nepal.

Wildlife tourism caters to the needs of high-end tourists, and Nepal has to reposition itself as a high-end tourist destination through wildlife tourism as the country has both comparative and competitive advantages. The rich past glory of Nepal has to be revived to boost tourism.

The Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery Project, a joint initiation of the Nepal Tourism Board and the United Nations Development Programme, was launched in 2021 with programmes totally designed for the benefit of the bottom of the pyramids working in the tourism sector.

The project specifically worked on providing immediate livelihood needs through short-term employment opportunities to vulnerable tourism-dependent communities, particularly women and people from disadvantaged groups in the tourism sector that have lost their jobs or income due to Covid-19; and generating employment and income for tourism workers through the renovation and development of tourism products in major tourist destinations. Unlike other countries that were totally concentrated on a top-down approach and designing recovery programmes for those at the top of the pyramid, the project totally took care of the bottom of the pyramid by reinventing and rethinking tourism and revitalising local communities.

The biggest challenge is restoring confidence in tourism which is only possible through travel. It has to combine an old man’s wisdom and a child’s delight and curiosity. The time is ripe to rethink tourism and reinvent it with a new responsibility in a meaningful way. Undoubtedly, the theme has rightly come at a time when people are looking at the tourism sector to bring succour to end their misery by rethinking tourism for development, including through education, jobs, capacity building, trained human resources, and of course, tourism’s impact on the planet and opportunities to grow more sustainably.

The World Tourism Organisation has aptly asked to rethink newer approaches to revive overall tourism. 

Sunil Sharma Sharma is a senior manager at Nepal Tourism Board.

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