NEPAL REAVELED

About Nepal

Source: CIA THE WORLD FACTBOOK

Background:

In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. An insurgency led by Maoist extremists broke out in 1996. The ensuing ten-year civil war between insurgents and government forces witnessed the dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute power by the king. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists and government officials, and culminated in a November 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. Following a nation-wide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The Constituent Assembly elected the country's first president in July. The Maoists, who received a plurality of votes in the Constituent Assembly election, formed a coalition government in August 2008, but resigned in May 2009 after the president overruled a cabinet decision to fire the chief of the army staff.

Geography

Location:

Southern Asia, between China and India

Geographic coordinates:

28 00 N, 84 00 E

Map references:

Area:

total: 147,181 sq km
country comparison to the world: 93
land: 143,351 sq km
water: 3,830 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Arkansas

Land boundaries:

total: 2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south

Terrain:

Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Natural resources:

quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore

        The word ‘Tourism’ is derived from the French word “Tourisme”, which literally means to tour and travel. The word tourism is the combination of the word ‘Tour’ and the suffix “ism” while as the word “Tourist” is the combination of the word ‘Tour’ and the suffix “ist”. In fact tour is a word derived from the Latin word tournel/tournes, which means a circle.

          Tourists are the people who travel to different destinations for variety of reasons spending more than 24 hours and probably less than one year.

          Tourism is the movement of people from one place to another due to attraction, inspiration of the destination place around a circle. But traveling in the destination visited without reason for temporarily stay is not tourism.

         The word “travel and tourism” are not synonyms. All tourism involves travel but not all travel is tourism. All tourism involves recreation but not all recreation is tourism. All tourism occurs in leisure time but leisure time is not given tourist pursuits.

           Tourism has been a human phenomenon since the beginning of human civilization. But as travel in past was not undertaken for the purpose of pleasure and it was not taken during leisure, instead the motive of the travel was simply to work or to do job, so it is not taken as tourism, is simply taken as  traveling. So, traveling is considered as human nature where as tourism is considered as a recent phenomenon.        

             

Tourism is a recent but a composite phenomenon; it does not exist in isolation so it has certain basic components upon which tourism depends or without which tourism cannot operate. Accommodation facilities were there with the insufficient natural beauty seen in the nature but as there was no joint effort, there was no tourism. Tourism involves starting the travel by people from their own places to a certain destination crossing other various destinations by means of different transportation available and returning to their own destinations with lots of experience, memmories, joy and nature in totality.

              Today’s tourism is a modern tourism which have its own nature, characteristics and types. Tourism now is taken as a service industry, an incessant industry, a contributor to the economy so, first we must know the types, components of the tourism. Some of the important components of tourism are:

1)   Attraction

          Attractions are those elements which inspire, motivate, create the desire to travel and attracts towards one destination rather than other destination. Attraction can be from anything like may be from cultural and archaeological sites, national parks, sports event, fairs and festivals, mountains etc and these are the factors which generate the flow of tourist to a particular destination. Attraction can be classified into two. They are:

1.    Manmade Attraction (Artificial)

             The sites which are prepared, developed or modified by people are called manmade attraction. Like historical buildings, monuments, temples, resorts, hotels, sports events etc.

      

2.    Natural Attraction

                They are the gifts of the nature and national assets of a country and the typical element of tourism that motivates or creates the desire to go to one place rather than other.

Like mountains, flora and fauna, river, natural wonders, sea and beaches etc.

2)   Accessibility

                 It is the means by which tourist can reach the place of attraction.  The most specific feature of tourism industry is the immovability of the product. So, to admire, feel and experience the destination, the tourist have to reach there. For example, Nigeria Falls, Taj Mahals can not be transferred or carried from one place to another. The means of transportation includes trekking, hiking, mountaineering etc. The transportation is categorized as follows:

§        Road Transportation-Private and Public vehicles

§        Air Transportation-Scheduled and Chartered flights

§        Rail Transportation-Scheduled

§        Sea Transportation-Including cruise

                        The precondition of travel is movement and movement asks for transportation. So, transportation is the most important precondition for tourism.

3)    Accommodation

               Tourism arises from the movement of the people and their stay. There are 2 important elements of tourism. One is journey to the destination and second is the stay at the destination. Journey is related to transportation and stay is related to accommodation. To be a tourist one must stay at least 24 hours or over stay so they require accommodation. Some examples of it are hotels, inns, resorts, apartments, camp etc.

  

4)          Amenities/facilities

                 Amenities are facilities added to the attraction, accessibility and accommodation. This element itself does not generate tourist flow but its absence could detract the tourist. It influence customer to visit the place of attraction. The facilities may include service provided by the government, travel agency, hotel, airlines and transport companies etc.  Facilities help to make the traveling of a guest remarkable, comfortable and full of pleasure.

         Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world and contributes alot in economy and society of a country. So, it is very important to know the types of tourism. Some of them are:

A.      Ethnic Tourism

           The tourist are motivated and guided to observe the language, physical feature, food habit, culture, religion, rituals etc of the ethnic community. This type of tourism is mostly flourished in South Korea, New Zealand etc. The example of ethnic tourism in Nepal is a tour to the Tharu village.

B.     Recreational Tourism

           The tourist are directed to only for relaxation neither they experience nor they appreciate to other and just prefer relaxation, pleasure and fun. They are attracted by four ‘S’ i.e. Sun, Sand, Sea and Sex. These types of tourist mostly visit big cities like Las Vegas, Disney Land and prefer casino, night club etc.

C.    Adventure Tourism

           The guest takes part physically in adventure activities like rafting, mountaineering, trekking, bungee jumping etc. This type of tourism is mostly popular among young people and risk takers.

D.    Business Tourism

            The tourists are motivated to attend seminars, conference, meetings etc held by various private and public sector. This type of tourism mostly flourishes in big and developed cities where more commercialized companies are established like banks, travel agencies, hotels, business centers etc. The tourist requires high class facilities and do not mind in spending money.

E.   Religious Tourism

              Religious value, belief and thought are the main driving force of religious tourism. The tourists are directed to visit religious paces, religious merits, pilgrimages etc. Tourism flourished in Pashupatinath is an example of it.

F.    Sports Tourism

               It includes people moving from one place to another, either to take part in sports and other actives for promoting sports or to cheer for their sports team. For example, people participating to cheer their favorite team during the season of World Cup.

G.  Historical Tourism

              The tourists are motivated to visit different historical places, museums, archaeological sites etc to know about the glory of the past and to understand oneself. Many people visiting Cairo in Egypt to see pyramid is an example of it. 

H. Environment Tourism/Eco-Tourism

                This tourism encourages visiting a specific geographical area without harming their habit, experiencing and appreciating the nature and learning Land-Man relationship.

 

I.       Cultural Tourism

                Tourists are motivated to visit different cities full of cultural values, norms and tradition. Culture is a set of belief, value, attitude, habit and norm of the people. City tours like-tour to Bhaktapur, Patan and Pashupatinath are examples of it.

J.     Educational Tourism

             Educational tourism is concerned with the study, research, academic and vocational education, training which might be organized by public or private sector.  This type of tourism is perform in close coordination with local expert, teacher, professor, scientist etc. For example, research on zoology, mineral etc.

             Above all, tourism may be described as activities of tourist and those who cater for them. It is highly diversified business, thus tourism is a hospitality industry providing services to visitors in a warm and conventional way.

Development Of Tourism In Nepal

      Nepal entered the modern era in the 1950’s without the modern means and methods. Despite the hurdles, the country has made a remarkable journey of economic progress since then. But still, tourism development is a new and recent phenomenon.

              Till 19^th or 20^th century, Nepal was forbidden to be explored not only politically but also by the nature as in north stands very large range of mountains and in south a lethal disease called ‘Aulo’-Malaria was there. Nepal finally opened its door for the outsider in 1941 but for the purpose of expedition only. The successful scaling of Mount Annapurna (1950 A.D.) and Mount Everest (1953 A.D.) popularized the existence of Nepal and the Nepalese people in the world. During the coronation ceremony of late king Mahendra in the year 1956 A.D. large number of foreign dignitaries were invited which helped to foster the friendly relationship and promote the tourism industry of Nepal.

             Tourism Act 2021 B.S. and tourism regulation Act 2022 B.S. was enacted for the development of tourism for providing comfort, safe and healthy environment to tourist visiting within Nepal. In 1965 A.D., to cater the need of tourism industry, the department of tourism began training and trained 52 tourist guides.

            The enlargement of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA, 1970-1975) to 3048 meters from 1036 meters, the only air access to Nepal was also the most praiseworthy work done in the history of tourism in Nepal. Development plans like planning to develop the tourism industry with the cooperation of government of Federal Republic of Germany and the plan to develop Pokhara as a secondary tourist destination by Pacific Area Travel Associations (PATA) helped in overall development of tourism.

            The establishment of Hotel Management and Tourism Training Centre (HMTTC), later renamed as Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management (NATHM) founded in 1972 for providing training, both for travel and hotel employees is also regarded as an important milestone in the field of tourism development in Nepal.

            During the 2^nd three year plan (1962-1965) government earned 214000 dollars as foreign exchange. Similarly, three years plan launched in July 1962 focused on development of infrastructure, economic condition and establishment of various sectors. The establishment of ministry of tourism in February 23, 1977, is also considered as the landmark for tourism development in the country. A high-level tourism cooperation committee was formed in 1978 in Kathmandu.

             Visit Nepal Year program with target to attract five lakhs tourists launched in 1998 with three major activities area are:

a)    Infrastructure development and community involvement initiation.

b)     Product enhancement, new product development and staging special events and activities.

c)    International publicity and promotion.

 

       Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) which came into operation in the year 1958 signed its contract with India in 1960 and the air link outside Nepal with the major cities of India like Patna, Delhi was established. In the meantime, private airlines like Neccon Air, Cosmic Air and Nepal Air also came into existence.

            The 1^st perspective plan to develop tourism was brought in 1972, which was reviewed in 1984 and 1990. The liberal policy has also helped for the specific development of tourism in all tourism plans so far executed and has encouraged the opening of many types of service industries.

             In today’s Nepal, more travel agencies and hotels are being established in large number day by day. Different non-governmental organization like Nepal Association of Travel Agents (NATA), Trekking Agency Association Nepal (TAAN) and Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) are established to organize tourism and hotel industries. The government must give higher priority to maintain the quality of hotel and travel agencies, to conserve the uniqueness and intrinsic values of Nepalese cultural heritage and maintain a policy of friendship with all the countries. 

Importance Of Tourism

        Tourism is a hospitality industry which is now considered as one of the largest industry in the world. It plays a very vital role in the national economy. The tourism industry not only helps in growth of economy but also provides employment opportunities and is a source of foreign exchange. The importances of tourism are:

Ø                          Employment Generation

             Tourism industry is one of the largest industry in the world. In Nepal, almost 1.5 million people are engaged in tourism industry directly as well as indirectly. The more flow of tourist the more need of facilities like hotels, restaurants, lodges, resorts, travel agencies, tour guides, rafting, mountaineering etc and these sectors can provide jobs to more and more people. 

Ø                 Development Of Handicrafts

             The handicrafts of Nepal are popular through the world for their superior quality, splendid workmanship and artistic excellence. So, most tourists buy lots of items like sculptures, wood carvings, rudraksha (rosary), jewelry and gems, fiber products, khukuri, garments etc to take home as gifts or souvenirs. The sale of such handicrafts automatically helps in development of Nepalese handicraft.

Ø                 Source of foreign exchange

            When tourists come to our nation they bring their currency with them. The tourist needs to spend it on acquiring different needs like accommodation, for using facilities like transportation, communication etc, for buying foods and different souvenirs and so on. So we can earn more and more foreign currency from more flow of tourists.

Ø                 Change in life style/Share in ideology

            If there is more flow of tourist in our nation then people will start to learn different cultures, skills, religions, change in attitude, behavior and lifestyle exchange ideas and achieve knowledge from the tourists. People will not follow the superstitious belief as the tourists do not believe in superstition. Hence, people will learn about education and its importance too.

Ø                 Expansion of market

              Tourism helps to widen the market of local goods and products as tourist is both the consumer and the exporter of local products. Tourist will buy different handicrafts, goods and items like idols, jewelry and gems, garments, khukhuri etc which will help for enhancing the local products to international level as well as the restrictions, limitation or boundaries of local market will be suppressed by the foreign policy or aspects of market.

Ø                 Promotion of the Nation

              We know that the mouth to mouth advertisement is far better than the publicity done through different media. People believe in those things on which other people believe in.  So, tourism helps to publicize the country all over the world. It helps to learn, feel and know about the culture, rituals, beliefs, natural beauty, arts, skills, landscape, people and their religion and hospitality manner to the world.

Ø                 Source of Public Revenue

               The flow of tourists asks for large number of hotels, restaurants, lodges, café, pub, coffee shop, travel agencies, etc from which government can earn money in the form of tax. Thus, the revenue earned can be invested to create new tourism destination.

About Visit Nepal Year 2011

         2011 is Nepal Tourism Year, and we all Nepalese are aiming at getting one million tourists into the country during this year. The marketing slogan ‘Mount Everest & More...Experience it in Nepal’ by NTB (Nepal Tourism Board) highlights Nepal as a travel destination that offers a world beyond the mountains. Not only that, the little tag line ‘once is not enough’ is also being used to advertise the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 all over the world. NTB is also trying to maximize the benefits of tourism by promoting Nepal as a premier holiday destination with a definite brand image.

                The main objectives of Nepal Tourism Year 2011 are:

·        To be able to attract 1 million tourists into the country during the year 2011.

·        To develop Nepal as an attractive tourist destination in the international market.

·        To establish a good and dignified image of Nepal in the international tourism community by developing Nepal as a secure, reliable and attractive destination.

·        To develop Nepal as a tourism hub for South Asia.

        The 31^ST World Tourism Day on Sept. 27, 2010, was celebrated amidst much fanfare with slogan “Tourism and Biodiversity”. Amidst a grand function at the premises of NTB, Honorable Mr. Sarat Singh Bhandari, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, officially launched 3 new tourism products- Paanchpokhari Bhairavkunda Trekking Trail (Sindhupalchowk), Nagi Narcheng Trekking Trail (Myagdi-Parwat) and Dhorpatan Trekking Trail (Baglung).

         Likewise, the first group of tourists to enter Nepal were also felicitated and welcomed warmly in a typical Nepali style at the TIA (Tribhuvan International Airport), and the airports of Biratnagar and Pokhara and the entry points at the Nepal – India border.

          Also, in addition to the present conservation areas, national parks, the government has declared Api Nampa, Gaurishankar and Khairapur as three new conservation areas and Banke National Park as protected area.

           Different products are being promoted for the development of tourism like- as a part of the development of new tourism products for Nepal Tourism Year 2011, NTB and Makwanpur Tourism Committee are interacting with each other to develop and promote the historic fort named “Makwanpur Gadi” of the Makwanpur district. Likewise, along with the bio-diversity, Gaurishankar Conservation Area (GCA) has been recognized as new tourist destination for the Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011 and also to attract more tourists to the country ahead of NTY 2011, canyoning, an adventurous outdoor water spot, has been started for the first time in Kopse forest at Bandipur-6, Tanahun.

           Interaction programs are being held like developing at least a tourism product from each district and to help to support to develop the infrastructure for boosting tourism in respective district. Similarly, to advertise about NTY 2011, the logo of NTY 2011 and its official slogan “Together for Tourism” is printed on Himalayas Spring Water’s product “Himalayas Ontop” throughout the campaign which will be provided free of cost to the incoming visitors at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

          Different NTY promotion programs are being held internationally like- NTB in coordination with Nepal Embassy in Japan and NTB 2011 Secretariat, organized the first international lunch of NTY 2011 in Tokyo, Japan. At the program, the first female Mount Everest Summiteer Ms. Junko Tabei who was declared as Goodwill Ambassadors in Japan for NTY 2011 along with the Everest Summiteers Mr. Yuichiro Miura, Mr. Gora Miura and Mr. Mikihito Fujimori, expressed her commitment for the development of mountaineering in Nepal and extended her good wishes for the success of NTY 2011. Likewise the Embassy of Nepal, London, took part in the grand London Mela- 2010, held in Gunnersbury Park of Central London on Aug. 8, 2010 where placing NTY 2011 in focus, activities such as Nepali Paperedge Youth Band, Naumati Cultural Band, and Nepali Folk Dances were performed, different publicity materials, posters and CDs on Nepal were provided and the taste of Nepali cuisine, too, was organized.

                 Similarly, promotional campaign in Thailand, Nepal Embassy in Bangkok organized a program in Pattaya with the prime objective of updating Thai travel trade and media on NTY 2011 and current travel and tourism situations in Nepal. Likewise, the Embassy of Nepal in Germany participated in the Public Open Day Program organized by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in its office premises in Berlin where the Embassy decorated a stall made available by BMZ with posters and distributed promotional materials including Nepal caps provided by NTB and a documentary was presented on ‘Adventures Attraction of Nepal’ brought out by NTB. More than 3000 visitors visited the Nepal stall. During the Travel & Tourism Fair- Outbound Travel Mart (TTF-OTM), held in Ahmadabad, the Nepal stall was generally inquired by Gujarati young visitors who showed interest in adventure activities while other inquired generally about Nepal as Gateway to Mt. Kailash-Mansarovar, Pashupatinath, Muktinath and other tour packages. Nepal was given a feature country status with the promotion of NTY 2011 in all the TTF-OTM publicity collateral and hoarding boards. Nepal stall won Group Participation Award during TTF-OTM, Ahmadabad.

           Besides these, different itineraries are suggested by NTB through prospectus, posters and publicity materials like-

§             Kathmandu-Chitwan-Pokhara (Royal Trek and Himalayan Fun)

§             Jaunt to Sherpaland (Everest Base Camp)

§             Annapurna and Thorongla (Fly Kathmandu-Gorkha and trek to Draudi Khola)

§              The Kingdom of Mustang (Fly Kathmandu-Pokhara and Pokhara-Jomsom and trek to Kagbeni)

§               Upper Dolpo and Shey Gompa (Fly Kathmandu-Nepalgunj and Nepalgunj-Dolpo and trek to Dunai)

     Likewise, NTB is promoting to develop and to introduce Nepal as an attractive destination in the international arena and is conducting studies and research and implementing the results for better understandings and upgrading of tourism trends. NTB is also assisting in establishing and developing institutions necessary for the development of tourism enterprises and is conducting action-oriented research related to tourism in order to provide quality service to tourists visiting Nepal.

SUMMARY OF TOURISM SCENARIO, 2009

Indicators	2008	2009	%Change
Tourist Arrival by:    Air    Land    Total	374,,661 125,616 500,277	379,322 130,634 509,956	1.2 4.0 1.9
Average Length of stay	11.78	11.32	-3.9
Sex:                     Male                        Female	286,983 213,294	288,155 221,801	0.4 4.0
By Age Groups:                  0-15 years                  16-30 years                  31-45 years                  46-60 years                  61+ years                  Not Specified	42,581 106,596 150,171 121,387 60,531 19,011	84,891 140,805 141,955 99,197 39,638 3,470	99.4 32.1 -5.5 -18.3 -34.5 -81.7
Top Five Country of Nationality                  Rank 1                  Rank 2                  Rank 3                  Rank 4                  Rank 5	India Sri Lanka P.R. of China U.K. U.S.A	India Sri Lanka P.R. of China U.K. U.S.A
Purpose of Visit:  Holiday/Pleasure Trekking/Mountaineering  Business  Pilgrimage  Official  Conference  Rafting  Others  Not Specified	148,180 104,822 23,039 45,091 43,044 6,938 243 99,391 29,526	40,992 132,929 22,758 51,542 24,518 9,985 285 186,849 40,098	-72.3 26.8 -1.2 14.3 -43.0 43.9 17.3 88.0 35.8
Number of Visits in Nepal              One              Two              Three              Four              Five & more		318,263 158,153 7,858 7,426 18,256
Mountaineering Expedition:   Total Team   Successful Person   Royalty to Government	267 NA 253,583	236 675 284,123	-11.6 12.0

         

       Contribution of Private and Public Sector

          We all know that the infrastructures and superstructures like transportation, communication, drinking water, electricity, hotel, lodge, inns, trains, aircrafts etc are the backbones of development of tourism of a country. The public sector is mainly responsible for development and operation of infrastructure while as private sector is responsible for the development and operation of superstructure. As superstructure and infrastructure must be there to promote tourism so, to provide these both, the private and public sector has contributed a lot.  Some of them are:

1.    Many hotels, lodge, inns etc of very good standard are being opened keeping in mind that the large number of tourists ask for comfort, clean and safe accommodation or ‘Home Away From Home’.

2.     The very essential components of tourism like transportation, facilities like communication, electricity etc is being reached to each and every village, city so that the tourist won’t hesitate to travel to the destination they want to at any hour.

3.     Different NTY 2011 interaction program at regional level under both private and public sector are being held and also  are planning about the idea of developing at least a tourism product from each district.

4.    Different organization are bringing various programs to aware the people of our country that we can create desire, a wish in tourists heart to visit our nation through our precious gift like  religion, norms and values, culture, history related to our courageous and brave forefathers, etc and the unique way of living and our hospitality manners.

5.    Various plans like providing home stay, camping etc for tourist  are in progress in different places where there are no any kinds of hotels, lodges, resorts, restaurants etc

6.     Advertisements of various things like products or souvenirs, that tourist can buy and take to their home; places where tourist can relax and can know and understand about themselves, experience nature, enjoy doing adventurous activities like trekking, mountaineering, paragliding, hiking and canyoning,  etc are being done through different media like television, posters, prospectus, internet etc by using advanced equipments.

7.    Both the public and private sector are working together for improving and extending tourism related infrastructures in existing and new tourism sites.   

8.    Various national carriers are empowered through the addition of new fleet and air safeties are given maximum importance with cutting edge technology and highly competent staff at all airports including STOL airports in different parts of the country.

9.    Different travel packages to Nepal with minimum cost are offered so that the maximum number of people can travel to Nepal.

Problems Affecting the Event to run smoothly

      Nepal is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of biodiversity due to its unique geographical position and altitudinal variation. The elevation of the country ranges from 60m above sea level to the highest point on earth, Mount Everest at 8,848m, all within a distance of 150km resulting into climatic conditions from sub-tropical to arctic. Nepal is also a secular state with a pre-dominance of Hindu and Buddhist population. Nepal has more than 101 ethnic groups having their own tradition, norms and values, culture and 92 spoken languages.

  Despite all of this precious and unique wealth, Nepal is still a poor country. Nepal’s economic condition is very poor and infrastructures and superstructures are rarely provided here and those which are, is in very bad condition. But still we are aiming to getting one million tourists into the country during the year 2011. So of the problem affecting the event are:

1)    Lack of infrastructures and superstructures

           As Nepal is a poor country, it is not able to utilize the local resources like water to produce electricity, accessibility, accommodations providing establishment like hotels, inns restaurants, health service providing hospitals, clinics, health center, doctors, nurse etc to each and every places of the nation. So, we are not being able to attract more number of tourists and also, we are not being able to prolong the stay of tourist.

2)    Lack of fund

            We are not being able to utilize the full capacity of resources, provide necessary infrastructures, advertise about the services that we can provide to the tourist etc as we don’t have enough fund for all of it.

3)    Lack of technology

           Nepal is economically poor, so we don’t have enough funds to invest in new and advance equipments, to invest to provide standard communication like internet, email, ecommerce, transportation providing higher facilities, aircrafts etc. But tourist demand for such thing and we are unable to provide it to them which leave a bad impression on our hospitality.

4)    Lack of stable government

           The government of Nepal is always changing and it creates a kind of insecurity in the country. Different kinds of problems like strike, kidnapping, robbery, theft, sexual harassment etc are rising day by day and none of the government are doing anything to stop it. Due to this the tourist feel unsecured and does not want to visit the country.

5)    Lack of proper advertisement

        Nepal is poor but is full of natural beauties and scenario. Nepal is able to offer many kinds of adventurous activities like paragliding, rafting, bungee jumping, canyoning etc, places of paradise like Pokhara, Ilam, Dharan, city of devotes like Patan, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur etc but due to lack of proper equipments and standard technology, proper advertisement of it to the world is not possible.

6)    Lack of appropriate plan

           Long term plans like providing new destination area for entertainment, proper lodging houses, development of transportation, communication, health service, security etc are not properly planned. They are just in thoughts of providing those services for the moment and getting one million tourist for the year only which is affecting the aim of NTY 2011 because the aim is to establish Nepal as a choice of premier holiday destination in the world so the services that we are planning to render are not for temporary, it is for long term.   

7)    Lack of knowledge and constant harassment

          People of Nepal are illiterate. They do not know about the importance of tourism so they are just neglecting the tourist and are misbehaving with them. For e.g. tourist visiting Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Thamel etc are harassed by kids sniffing glue, touts and tiger balm salesman etc. which annoys the tourist and leave a bad impression on our manner.

8)    Lack of trash collection and waste baskets

          The people of Nepal do not follow proper hygienic rules; do not dispose the garbage and waste products at proper place.  Instead they have the habit of dumping the wastage at the side of roads, sources of water like river, streams etc so, it destroys the beauty of the natural surroundings and creates problem like air pollution, causes diseases like diarrhea, cholera, malaria, eye disease etc. It causes the tourist to believe that Nepal is an unhygienic and improper place to enjoy on.

9)    Lack of new tourist destination

           Nepal has many places to enjoy, relax, to feel and experience the nature but yet the places are not sufficient. The tourist do not have more options like where they can go after certain period of visiting or spending some months in a place after exploring and enjoying. The tourists do not have much activity to do which can help to prolong their stay.

10)   Open border with India

        We have open border with India due to which people can easily enter our nation. Anyone, that can be a murderer, smuggler, kidnapper etc can easily come and go. These people come as tourist and do wrong things and the tourist who has come to enjoy get blame for that. Due to this the local people misjudge them as the bad ones and behave negatively due to which the tourist are not welcomed and the tourist do not feel like visiting. 

Solutions to Make the Event Successful

       There are many problems that are affecting the event, Nepal Tourism Year 2011 from succeeding but yet there are solutions too. They are:

a)    Improve the conditions of present infrastructure

             Though we do not have advance and developed infrastructure, we can standardize the infrastructure that we have and can use them to benefit the tourist.

b)    Implement of rules and regulations

             Different rules and regulations to decrease the social evil like robbery, theft, kidnapping, sexual harassment etc should be strictly implemented so that no one can even dare to think about it.

c)    Enhance the capacity of service renders

              Numerous kinds of hotels, lodge, resorts, restaurants, fast food outlets etc should be standardized and their capacity of providing service should be maximized so that more number of tourists can get benefit from less number of service providers.

d)    Development of new tourism products

            People are always curious to know about new things and to visit new places and to experience different activities that they have never experienced before. So, new programs and products should be introduced to attract more number of tourists. 

e)    Proper disposal of wastage

        The improper disposal of wastage harms the beautiful surrounding of the nature and also may be an eyesore for the people. So, the people should be taught about the proper method of disposal of waste and rules and regulations forbidding the irrational manner should be implemented.

f)      Target the right population

             As now days, many people are familiar with internet, they hardly uses travel agents, so the promotion of trips that are to be peddled through travel agencies will not bring the numbers. Target independent travelers who stays for a long period, spend their money at diverse restaurants, hotels, shops etc.

g)    Provide training and knowledge to  people

         If people are taught about the behavior of tourist, their characteristics, different languages and different training like how to welcome guest then they be able to fulfill the service asked by the tourist which will have a good impression on guest.

h)    Appropriate planning (long term vision)

           First of all, proper planning like targeting the right population, advertisement which can attract any group, age, races of people, providing comfortable environment ,developed infrastructures, easy access to any parts of the country etc should be done so that while implementing those plans no problems would arise.

i)       Promotion of tourism at regional level

           People should be aware that the more tourists they can attract the more benefit they can get from it. Like, we can establish ourselves as the country gifted by the natural beauty all over the world full of different caste, races, and religions of people living together in harmony following brotherhood. We should aware people to participate for the promotion and development of tourism from regional level.

My Effort to carry out the Event

     Nepal Tourism Year 2011(NTY 2011) is an opportunity to establish our country as one of the most popular tourism destination in the world. Nepal is full of natural beauty, places that can be visited and left to be explored, adventurous activities like bungee jumping, rafting, trekking etc can be done, can experience wildlife and natural beauty, people and their way of living. So, we can say that the Nepal has the capacity of being a famous tourism destination and is capable of providing different activities for enjoyment.

      For the promotion of NTY 2011, both the public and private sector are doing different planning, are working together for the advertisement of the service that we can provide, are standardizing the facilities, and are promoting new tourism destinations, interacting with other nations for the support of promotion of NTY 2011etc.

       As a Nepali, as an individual I can too help to promote the NTY 2011 at local level. I can do following things:

a.     I can aware my family about the importance of tourism and about the benefits that we can get.

b.    I can aware other people of my locality, friends and relatives to welcome the tourist and to respect them and behave friendly.

c.     I can aware the local people to keep the surroundings clean, safe and attractive so that the tourist would find the surrounding comfortable for enjoying and spending their holidays.

d.     I can help the tourist that I meet by anyways and can show them our surroundings, explain the way of living, tradition, religion, culture etc and can teach other local people to do same so that we can show our hospitality manners and build up a good image of Nepal and its people all over the world.

e.    I can aware people that  the culture, religion, tradition, norms that we follow, folk dance, songs, temple, language that we have inherited from our forefathers  are precious and to save them so it can be a medium of attracting tourists.

f.         I can explain the local people about the importance of tourism and the security of tourist so we can help government to build up a secure environment by providing security for tourist from local level.

g.       I can help the local people to conserve natural resources like forest, river, flora and fauna, historical and religious monuments for the tourist to be visit and explore.

h.     I can also teach small children and salesman not to harass tourist but to show them our appreciation for coming to our country by helping them and providing them different local products as souvenirs.

Conclusion

         After preparation of this report, I found out how both the public and private sector are working together for making the NTY 2011 successful and also about the objectives of NTY 2011. Marketing slogans ‘Mount Everest & More….Experience it in Nepal’ and the tag line ‘once is not enough’ are being used to advertise the NTY 2011. The government and private sector are working hard to maximize the benefits of tourism by promoting Nepal as a premier holiday destination with a definite brand image. Different promotional programs are being launched nationally and internationally with the support of different countries for the promotion of NTY 2011. Different new tourism destinations are being introduced like Gaurishankar Conservation Area, Makwanpur Gadi (a historic fort), adventurous outdoor activities like canyoning in Kopse forest etc. Promotional campaigns with objective of establishing Nepal as a famous tourism destination are being held. Different promotional materials like handicrafts, posters, cd etc are being distributed and different products on which logo of NTY 2011 are being promoted. Also, infrastructures are being standardized and are established and people related to tourism industry are being trained to interact gently and humbly with tourist, to cater their needs properly, to provide standard service and facilities.

Further more I learn about the development of tourism in Nepal and its importance and the benefit that we can get from the successful promotion of NTY 2011 all over the world.

From judging what I have learned, I conclude that the activities that are being done for the promotion of NTY 2011 is very good but as we are aiming to get one million tourists more efforts and help are needed so we all must work for the success of NTY 2011.    

Land use:

arable land: 16.07%
permanent crops: 0.85%
other: 83.08% (2005)

Irrigated land:

11,700 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

210.2 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 10.18 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)
per capita: 375 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

severe thunderstorms; flooding; landslides; drought and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons

Environment - current issues:

deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest - on the borders with China and India respectively

People

Population:

28,563,377 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42

Age structure:

0-14 years: 36.6% (male 5,327,484/female 5,127,178)
15-64 years: 59.2% (male 8,094,494/female 8,812,675)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 566,666/female 634,880) (2009 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.8 years
male: 19.8 years
female: 21.7 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.281% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105

Birth rate:

23.18 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80

Death rate:

6.97 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132

Net migration rate:

-3.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150

Urbanization:

urban population: 17% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 47.46 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 55
male: 47.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 47.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 65.46 years
country comparison to the world: 165
male: 64.3 years
female: 66.67 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.64 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
70,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

5,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: Japanese encephalitis, malaria, and dengue fever (2009)

Nationality:

noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Nepalese

Ethnic groups:

Chhettri 15.5%, Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001 census)

Religions:

Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census)
note: only official Hindu state in the world

Languages:

Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu (Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi 2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census)
note: many in government and business also speak English (2001 est.)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48.6%
male: 62.7%
female: 34.9% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years
male: 10 years
female: 8 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

3.4% of GDP (2003)
country comparison to the world: 133

Government

Country name:

conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal
local long form: Sanghiya Loktantrik Ganatantra Nepal
local short form: Nepal

Government type:

federal democratic republic

Capital:

Name: Kathmandu
Geographic coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E
Time difference: UTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti

Independence:

1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 29 May; Democracy Day, 24 April

Constitution:

15 January 2007 (interim Constitution); note - in April 2008, a Constituent Assembly was elected to draft and promulgate a new constitution by May 2010

Legal system:

based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Ram Baran YADAV (as of 23 July 2008); Vice President Paramananda JHA (as of 23 July 2008) head of government: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar NEPAL (as of 25 May 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar GACHHEDAR

Cabinet:

cabinet formed in May 2009 by a majority coalition made up of the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist, Nepali Congress, Madhesi People's Rights Forum, and several smaller parties
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )

elections: president elected by Parliament; term extends until the new constitution is promulgated; election last held 21 July 2008; date of next election NA
election results: Ram Baran YADAV elected president by the Constituent Assembly in a second round of voting on 21 July 2008; Ram Baran YADAV 308, Ram Jaja Prasad SINGH 282

Legislative branch:

unicameral Constituent Assembly (601 seats; 240 seats decided by direct popular vote; 335 seats by proportional representation; 26 appointed by the Cabinet
(Council of Ministers))

elections: last held 10 April 2008 (next to be held NA)
election results: percent of vote by party - CPN-M 38%, NC 19%, CPN-UML 19%,Madhesi People's Right Forum 9%, Terai-Madhes Democratic Party and Sadbhavana Party 5%, other 10%; seats by party - CPN-M 220, NC 110, CPN-UML 103, Madhesi People's Rights Forum 52, Terai-Madhes Democratic Party 20, Sadbhawana Party 9, other smaller parties 61; note - 26 seats filled by the new Cabinet

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (the president appoints the chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the chief justice appoints other judges on the recommendation of the Judicial Council)

Political parties and leaders:

Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekata Party [Keshav Prasad MAINALI]; Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [Matrika YADAV]; Communist Party of Nepal (ML) [C.P. MAINALI]; Communist Party of Nepal (Unified) [Raj Singh SHRIS]; Communist Party of Nepal (United) [Ganesh SHAH]; Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Jhalanath KHANAL]; Dalit Janajati Party [Vishwendraman PASHWAN]; Madhesi People's Rights Forum [Upendra YADAV]; Madhesi People's Rights Forum (Democratic) [Bijay Kumar GACHHEDAR]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Pashupati Shumsher RANA] (also called Rastriya Prajatantra Party or RPP); Nepal Loktantrik Samajbadi Dal [Upendra GACHCHHADAR]; Nepal Pariwar Dal [Vinod DANGI]; Nepal Rastriya Party [Khushilal YADAV]; Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) [Shyam Sundar GUPTA]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA]; Nepali Janata Dal [Bharat Prasad MAHATO]; Rastriya Janamorcha [Chitra BAHADUR K.C.]; Rastriya Janamukti Party [Malwar Singh THAPA]; Rastriya Janashakti Party or RJP [Surya Bahadur THAPA]; Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal [Kamal THAPA]; Sadbhavana Party (Mahato) [Rajendra MAHATO]; Samajbadi Prajatantrik Janata Party Nepal [Prem Bahadur SINGH]; Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch [Kamal CHHARAHANG]; Terai-Madhes Democratic Party [Mahantha THAKUR]; Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also known as PRACHANDA, chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: several small armed Madhesi groups along the southern border with India; a variety of groups advocating regional autonomy for individual ethnic groups

International organization participation:

ADB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Shankar Prasad SHARMA
chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Randy BERRY
embassy: Maharajgunj, Kathmandu
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [977] (1) 400-7200
FAX: [977] (1) 400-7272

Flag description:

red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun

Economy

Economy - overview:

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world, with almost one-third of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for three-fourths of the population and accounting for about one-third of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural products, including pulses, jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. During the global recession of 2009, remittances from foreign workers abroad increased 47% to $2.8 billion while tourist arrivals only decreased 1% compared to the previous year. Nepal has considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower, with an estimated 42,000 MW of feasible capacity, but political instability hampers foreign investment. Additional challenges to Nepal's growth include its technological backwardness, landlocked geographic location, civil strife and labor unrest, and its susceptibility to natural disaster.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$33.26 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
$31.77 billion (2008 est.)
$30.17 billion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate):

$12.47 billion (2009 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.7% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
5.3% (2008 est.)
3.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,200 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
$1,100 (2008 est.)
$1,100 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 35%
industry: 16%
services: 49% (FY09 est.)

Labor force:

18 million
country comparison to the world: 33
note: severe lack of skilled labor (2009 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 76%
industry: 6%
services: 18% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

46% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
42% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

24.7% (2008)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 6%
highest 10%: 40.6% (2008)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

47.2 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 35
36.7 (1996)

Budget:

revenues: $2.3 billion
expenditures: $3.7 billion (FY10)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

13.2% (September 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
7.7% (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 71
6.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA% (31 December 2008)
Stock of money:
$2.106 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 75