SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, DEC 30 -
With two weeks remaining for the much-touted Nepal Tourism Year 2011 to begin, the Ministry of Finance has formally released a budget of Rs 120 million to publicize the campaign at the international level.
Nepal Tourism Board officials said that although international promotion through the media and marketing had been delayed, the campaign would not be affected much as it would focus on tourist generating seasons.
Of the total budget released for international promotion, Rs 60 million will be spent in India, Rs 30 million in China and rest in other source markets.
The marketing campaigns of the NTB and the NTY 2011 implementation committee are expected to be highly visible in the two neighbouring markets through traditional promotional channels including electronic and print media, brochures and posters. The NTB has stepped up its publicity campaign with celebrity marketing and by inviting popular figures to the launch of NTY 2011 on Jan. 14.
NTB chief executive officer Prachanda Man Shrestha said that the NTB would now ask India and China to submit the terms of reference of their promotional packages. He added that promotional activities would start around March-April, which is the peak tourist season in Nepal. “The budget provided by the government
for international promotion is quite
small, however, we will utilize it in a broad-based way.”
The NTB has announced its promotional strategy for 2011 with the theme “Together for Tourism”. Nepal has targeted one million arrivals for 2011, which is double the figure of 2009.
Travel trade entrepreneurs said that expansion of tourism throughout the world has increased competition among tourist destinations. Every country is trying to attract more tourists by adopting new marketing techniques and strategies, and if Nepal fails to keep in step with world trends it will slide in the world tourism market.
“As media promotion plays a vital role in marketing any product or service, tourism marketing in Nepal is a long way from the goal. This is mainly due to inadequate and ineffective promotional measures of the tourism sector of Nepal,” said Ram Kazi Koney, managing director of Gandaki Tours & Travels.
Moreover, Nepal faces resource constraints and cannot afford a sufficient budget for promotional purposes. As a result, the country cannot conduct promotional activities by using the international media which is essential for attracting foreign tourists, Koney added.
Tourism entrepreneurs have criticized the NTB for not doing its duty to a better extent to ensure that Nepal emerges as one of the major competitive destinations in the world tourism market.
There are many positive indicators for 2011. Recent arrival figures show that there is still a very positive attitude towards Nepal. Other positive indicators include India and China showing solid signs of outbound growth. This is good for Nepal as it is a short-haul market with large populations of potential visitors.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Nepal tourism year 2011 expect 200,000 ‘other’ tourists
KATHMANDU, JAN 02 -
Nepal plans to attract around 200,000 sexual minorities including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexes (LGBTI) during the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY-2011).
The Blue Diamond Society (BDS), an organization representing sexual minorities in the country, has said that it aims to bring 200,000 i.e. 20 percent such tourists of the total one million tourists in the NTY-2011. Nepal aims to host one million tourists this year.
Already gay tourists are responding favorably to the holiday and travel packages offered by Pink Mountain, a travel and tour agency run by sexual minorities and catering exclusively to LGBTI.
Pink Mountain offers wedding, honeymoon and anniversary packages to domestic as well as international LGBTI tourists, according to lawmaker and Chairman of Pink Mountain Sunil Babu Panta. “The agency has also confirmed two more same-sex marriages, trekking and many more adventures in the first month of its launch,” said Panta.
Most of the LGBTIs coming to Nepal so far have been sexual minorities from two Asian giants, India and China. Nepal’s liberal policies towards sexual minorities following a Supreme Court ruling have attracted LGBTIs from many countries.
In 2007, the Supreme Court (SC) of Nepal had directed the government to grant citizenship to LGBTIs and form a same-sex marriage committee to assure equality of the sexual minorities.
The agency offers grand weddings in national parks and the Everest base-camp, nature trip, adventure and safari, pilgrimage and meditation facilities to LGBTIs visiting the country. Globally, gay tourism is estimated to be over US$ 100 billion a year, and Nepal’s gay entrepreneurs are keen to cash in on it.
“The US alone makes US$ 68 billion every year through gay tourism,” said Panta. “We are one of the fastest growing South Asian countries to accept the natural characteristics of being LGBTI. We can reap this benefit to boost the economy of the country.” A research conducted by the Community Marketing International (CMI) in the United States found that 98 percent of LGBTIs have at least one overnight trip in a year.
Gay tourism entrepreneurs are coordinating with the government as well as other commercial organizations this year to attract a large number of sexual minorities. The BDS organized the same-sex marriage of an Indo-British couple last August in Nepal.
“So far, the government has extended only moral support to the gay tourism sector,” said Panta. However, he said he was pleased that the big hotels and resorts have come forward with LGBTI community-focused events and packages.
“Tiger and Gokarna resorts, Annapurna, Everest, Himalayan and Dwarika hotels are coordinating with us for the event,” Panta said.
Nepal plans to attract around 200,000 sexual minorities including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexes (LGBTI) during the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY-2011).
The Blue Diamond Society (BDS), an organization representing sexual minorities in the country, has said that it aims to bring 200,000 i.e. 20 percent such tourists of the total one million tourists in the NTY-2011. Nepal aims to host one million tourists this year.
Already gay tourists are responding favorably to the holiday and travel packages offered by Pink Mountain, a travel and tour agency run by sexual minorities and catering exclusively to LGBTI.
Pink Mountain offers wedding, honeymoon and anniversary packages to domestic as well as international LGBTI tourists, according to lawmaker and Chairman of Pink Mountain Sunil Babu Panta. “The agency has also confirmed two more same-sex marriages, trekking and many more adventures in the first month of its launch,” said Panta.
Most of the LGBTIs coming to Nepal so far have been sexual minorities from two Asian giants, India and China. Nepal’s liberal policies towards sexual minorities following a Supreme Court ruling have attracted LGBTIs from many countries.
In 2007, the Supreme Court (SC) of Nepal had directed the government to grant citizenship to LGBTIs and form a same-sex marriage committee to assure equality of the sexual minorities.
The agency offers grand weddings in national parks and the Everest base-camp, nature trip, adventure and safari, pilgrimage and meditation facilities to LGBTIs visiting the country. Globally, gay tourism is estimated to be over US$ 100 billion a year, and Nepal’s gay entrepreneurs are keen to cash in on it.
“The US alone makes US$ 68 billion every year through gay tourism,” said Panta. “We are one of the fastest growing South Asian countries to accept the natural characteristics of being LGBTI. We can reap this benefit to boost the economy of the country.” A research conducted by the Community Marketing International (CMI) in the United States found that 98 percent of LGBTIs have at least one overnight trip in a year.
Gay tourism entrepreneurs are coordinating with the government as well as other commercial organizations this year to attract a large number of sexual minorities. The BDS organized the same-sex marriage of an Indo-British couple last August in Nepal.
“So far, the government has extended only moral support to the gay tourism sector,” said Panta. However, he said he was pleased that the big hotels and resorts have come forward with LGBTI community-focused events and packages.
“Tiger and Gokarna resorts, Annapurna, Everest, Himalayan and Dwarika hotels are coordinating with us for the event,” Panta said.
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