Nepal ready to reclaim its place as tourism hot spot for mountaineers

Nepal’s tourism industry is heavily dependent on Indian tourists for sustained growth in its main forex earner. 

According to officials from travel and tourism sector here, the quake in April, 2015 and border agitation, which led to “economic blockade” of the landlocked country, dampened sentiments on the tourism front and conveyed message to the world that Nepal is not safe for holiday-makers. 

However, things have limped back to normalcy and the sector hopes to see good days ahead in Nepal, a country famous for snow-capped mountains and breath-taking natural beauty. Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) is making all out effort to convince the world that all is well in the Himalayan nation and is planning to hold road shows in India next month. 

Tourism is the largest industry in Nepal, and the largest source of foreign exchange and revenue. Possessing eight of the 10 highest mountains in the world, Nepal is a hot-spot destination for mountaineers, rock climbers and people seeking adventure. 

“The quake damaged some heritage sites and did immense harm to Nepal’s image. But the fact is that heritage sites in only 10 of the 75 districts in Nepal were affected,” said Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer of NTB. “Now, we are convincing the world that things are back to normal in the country and its a safe destination for vacationers,” Joshi said. 

“There was a whopping 80-90 per cent drop in tourist arrivals after the earthquake. After that political unrest and blockade were unpleasant developments,” said Santosh Karki, General Manager of KGH Group of Hotels. “However, things improved after the blockade was lifted. 

We started receiving many enquiries (for hotel bookings),” said Karki, whose group has Waterfront Resort and Himalayan Front, in Pokhara, a scenic tourist town about 200 kms from Kathmandu.