Nepal is hoping to build on its newly announced “Travel Year” campaign in a bid to revive the Himalayan nation’s sinking tourism industry, the Nepal Tourism Board said recently. The earthquake-hit nation is looking to bolster domestic tourism in particular, hoping to revive its fortunes as international tourist numbers continue to plummet. The country’s domestic air travel has continued to wane for the last four years, falling by nearly 6 percent in 2015.
Nepal’s “Travel Year” campaign has been initiated in line with Nepal’s calendar year, otherwise known as Bikram Sambat or Vikram Samvat, which begins in April. A solar calendar with origins in Hindu tradition, Bikram Sambat was established by the Indian emperor Vikramaditya, and has since then been recognized as the official calendar of the Himalayan nation.
This is the first time that Nepal has announced a “Travel Year” campaign in a bid to reinforce local tourism. Previously, Nepal had initiated “Visit Nepal 1998” and “Nepal Tourism Year 2011” campaigns to draw international visitors. According to Deepak Raj Joshi, chief executive officer of the Nepal Tourism Board, promoting domestic tourism is indisputably a need of the hour.
“At a time when number of foreign tourists visiting Nepal has decreased since the last year’s earthquake, the promotion of internal tourism makes sense.”
Many western countries, including the United States, Britain, and Canada, had advised their citizens against all “non-essential” travel to Nepal, owing to the risk of aftershocks and tremor-sparked landslides in quake-hit territories following last year’s catastrophe.
Nearly a year ago, on April 25, a deadly magnitude-7.8 quake rocked Nepal in the heart of spring, devastating the capital, Kathmandu, and wreaking havoc across the highly-impoverished Himalayan country. Over 6,000 people are said to have perished in the disaster, with nearly 15,000 others injured. The event triggered a deadly avalanche that swallowed 18 climbers at the Mount Everest base camp. According to U.N. estimates, 8 million people had been affected with nearly 3 million displaced across large tracts of the country.
According to official statistics, international tourism in Nepal collapsed to a six-year low in 2015, forcing the country’s tourism authorities to steer the “Travel Year 2073” initiative that includes introducing new tourist promotion packages and reviving some of the capital’s most prized tourist spots, especially during festival season.
Besides the spellbinding Himalayas, the historical sites located around the Kathmandu Valley had also been Nepal’s equally treasured tourist hotspots. Many of these awe-inspiring historic treasures which had been reduced to rubble by the disaster include the iconic Bhimsen Tower with its spiral staircase comprising over 200 steps as well as the wondrous Pashupatinath shrine. The historic cities of Bhaktapur and Pathan, as well as the most popular tourist hotels of the capital, Kathmandu, had also been ravaged beyond measure.
Kathmandu, the largest city in Nepal, is one of three royal cities, along with Bhaktapur and Patan. The towering Boudhanath Stupa, gracing the eastern side of the Valley and one of the most sacred Buddhist shrines, had been pummeled by the monster quake. The Stupa is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, and is regarded as among the grandest structures on the planet.
Nepal thrives on the hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists who contribute tremendously to the country’s foreign exchange. Tourism has for years been Nepal’s core revenue stream, accounting for over 4 percent of its gross domestic product and nearly as much employment.
Recently, Prince Harry visited Nepal and paid tribute to the remarkable fortitude and courage of the people of Nepal for having endured the fallout from last year’s devastating earthquake. His visit was seen as a sign of refreshing optimism that sent a strong message across the world, urging the international community to restore their travels to this land of breathtaking panoramic mountain views and incredibly hospitable people.
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