Prez opens Nepal Tourism Year amid lavish shindig

SANGAM PRASAIN
JAN 14 -
President Ram Baran Yadav declared Nepal Tourism Year 2011 open amid a gala event before 25,000 spectators at Dashrath Stadium on Friday.

Distinguished guests included tourism ministers from South Asian countries, members of the diplomatic corps and the secretary general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal recalled the commitment made by 19 political parties on Feb. 26 not to call any strikes in 2011. "Peace and stability is of utmost importance to increase the visibility of Nepal's tourism in the international arena," he said. "The campaign has focused on doubling tourist arrivals," he added.

The government, in cooperation with the private sector, had announced NTY 2011 in 2008 in a bid to revive the country's image and generate greater employment following the end of the conflict that had marred the country's tourism industry. The government has also accorded priority to the campaign in the budget to expand infrastructure and promotional efforts.

Tourism Minister Sharat Singh Bhandari made an appeal to make the campaign a success. He said that tourism could play a vital role in bringing prosperity and mobilizing investment.

"The government has developed 'Mighty East-Wild West' as a new tourism package. Tarai tourism and the Great Himalaya Trail are other products that have been developed to attract visitors," Bhandari said. Strikes, donation drives and other undesirable activities could spread a negative message in the international community and they should be discouraged, he added.

NTY 2011 national coordinator Yogendra Shakya underscored the need to forge a common interest to promote tourism in the country. Shakya said that garnering political commitment to support tourism from all the political parties was the major achievement of the NTY implementation committee. Similarly, the commitments made by union leaders to support the campaign and by investors to invest in tourism are all positive moves that reflect the slogan "Together for tourism", he added.

The country has targeted one million tourists in 2011, double the 2010 figure. Among the projected arrivals, 700,000 are expected to come by air and the rest overland.

After an interval of 13 years, the country is welcoming tourists in a big way. The campaign aims to project Nepal as a safe tourist destination and a choice of premier holidayers. The decade-long conflict has taken its toll on Nepali tourism and NTY has emerged as the perfect platform for the government and tourism entrepreneurs to revive the industry.

According to estimates, if one million tourists arrive in Nepal in 2011, tourism's contribution to the GDP will be almost 4 percent. And, the country could end up earning foreign currency worth $600 million.