SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, SEP 25 -
The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has appointed Khagendra Thapa Magar, waiting to enter the Guinness World Records as the world’s shortest man, as a goodwill ambassador for Nepal Tourism Year 2011.
Magar will be taken to every international promotional campaign to draw attention to Nepal tourism and promote NTY.
Guinness World Records currently recognizes Magar as the world’s shortest teenager. He is 56 cm tall and weighs 5 kg. Guinness will award Magar the title of the shortest man in the world when he turns 18 in October. Similarly, Miss Nepal Sadiksha Shrestha has been named goodwill brand ambassador for the entire campaign. "We are launching the NTY 2011 promotional campaign in over 10-12 international destinations, and taking the shortest man in the world to every destination will draw attention to the national campaign," said NTB chief executive officer Prachanda Man Shrestha at an interaction programme on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation is conducting various events to mark the 31st World Tourism Day 2010 on Sept. 27. World Tourism Day is being celebrated under the theme "Tourism and Biodiversity". As part of the celebrations, the ministry is laying out a welcome ceremony for tourists at tourism sites and entry points.
The Tara Gaon Development Board is offering 20 percent discount on food and 75 percent discount on accommodation at member hotels and restaurants from Sept. 23-27.
Hotel Association of Nepal is also providing 25 percent discount on food at its member hotels on Sept. 27. Likewise, various programme are being conducted by travel and trade entrepreneurs on the day.
Monday, September 27, 2010
NTY-2011 promo pitch higher
SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, SEP 28 -
As the world came together on Monday to celebrate World Tourism Day (WTD) with the theme, “Tourism and Biodiversity”, Nepal racked up its efforts in its mission to attract one million tourists next year as the much awaited Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY-2011) nears.
The growing number of hotels, increased hotel and international airlines bookings and rising number of international visitors in 2010 are positive indications that the country is likely to receive more tourists than ever.
However, doubts persist among the government authorities and travel trade entrepreneurs as to whether the country would achieve the target of bringing one million tourists at a time when the country is reeling under political uncertainty and the shaky peace process. The ambitious campaign was launched with the hope of attracting at least a million foreign tourists under the public-private-partnership and give a major boost to the country’s economy at a time when the country faces slackened tourism.
Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat Singh Bhandari is hopeful that the tourism year will give the desired boost to the country’s economy. “Even if the target is not met, the campaign will be a key driver in establishing Nepal as a prime destination,” he said at a programme on Monday.
There will be two major happenings on Jan 14, 2011—the campaign is slated to be
inaugurated the day the Maoist’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is integrated and UNMIN has been scheduled to go out the same day. “This will be a major achievement in leading the country towards economic prosperity,” said Minister Bhandari while addressing the 31st WTD.
Travel trade entrepreneurs said that they are fully ready to accommodate the numbers of targeted tourists. However, on the other hand, they are still skeptical about the level of international promotion due to budget constraints. The Ministry of Tourism and the Nepal Tourism Board, as the two main responsible government agencies spearheading the preparation, are being blamed for not doing enough as per the ambitious target set for the Indian and Chinese markets. Nepal has targeted 265,000 visitors from India and 100,000 from China during NTY 2011.
“We are ready in terms of preparation and planning and are confident of taking the campaign ahead,” said Ranjit Acharya, member of the NTY-2011 promotion committee.
“But, we are not getting enough budget on time,” he said. The government has allocated Rs. 230 million budget for the NTY-2011 promotion but delay in the full fledged budget has hit the campaign hard. Of the total allocated budget, Rs. 150 million is allocated to international promotion.
Given the fact that tourist arrival by air in 2009 was 378,712 in number, the 700,000 target to be brought by air may sound a little ambitious. Yet, at the same time the growing interest of international airlines connecting Nepal seems an encouraging factor.
As per the target set by the NTY-2011 working committee, next-door neighbors—China
and India—are the major focus. “We are exploring promotional partnership in India. Recently, we tied up with Dainik Jagaran Group, one of the largest circulated Indian dailies,” Acharya said.
As part of a pre-NTY marketing test, the promotional committee has launched a campaign ‘Garmi Se Behal, Chalo Nepal’ in India.
There will be constraints on budget to make a massive promotion in China. However, the NTY promotion committee has taken a different promotion strategy through public relation, events, internet and SMS
campaign. One reason that has kept many tourists from visiting Nepal is political instability and the air accessibility. But the NTY-2011 working committee major achievement aims to garner support from the political parties. The political parties have expressed commitment to shun bandas for the year 2011 but given the fluid political situation it is not completely certain.
In terms of air accessibility, Nepal has an Air Service Agreement with over 30
countries but there is no significant presence of the national flag carrier in the international arena. “Our tourism is getting more
dependent on international airlines which remain unpredictable,” said Rajendra Bajgai, general secretary of Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal.
KATHMANDU, SEP 28 -
As the world came together on Monday to celebrate World Tourism Day (WTD) with the theme, “Tourism and Biodiversity”, Nepal racked up its efforts in its mission to attract one million tourists next year as the much awaited Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY-2011) nears.
The growing number of hotels, increased hotel and international airlines bookings and rising number of international visitors in 2010 are positive indications that the country is likely to receive more tourists than ever.
However, doubts persist among the government authorities and travel trade entrepreneurs as to whether the country would achieve the target of bringing one million tourists at a time when the country is reeling under political uncertainty and the shaky peace process. The ambitious campaign was launched with the hope of attracting at least a million foreign tourists under the public-private-partnership and give a major boost to the country’s economy at a time when the country faces slackened tourism.
Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat Singh Bhandari is hopeful that the tourism year will give the desired boost to the country’s economy. “Even if the target is not met, the campaign will be a key driver in establishing Nepal as a prime destination,” he said at a programme on Monday.
There will be two major happenings on Jan 14, 2011—the campaign is slated to be
inaugurated the day the Maoist’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is integrated and UNMIN has been scheduled to go out the same day. “This will be a major achievement in leading the country towards economic prosperity,” said Minister Bhandari while addressing the 31st WTD.
Travel trade entrepreneurs said that they are fully ready to accommodate the numbers of targeted tourists. However, on the other hand, they are still skeptical about the level of international promotion due to budget constraints. The Ministry of Tourism and the Nepal Tourism Board, as the two main responsible government agencies spearheading the preparation, are being blamed for not doing enough as per the ambitious target set for the Indian and Chinese markets. Nepal has targeted 265,000 visitors from India and 100,000 from China during NTY 2011.
“We are ready in terms of preparation and planning and are confident of taking the campaign ahead,” said Ranjit Acharya, member of the NTY-2011 promotion committee.
“But, we are not getting enough budget on time,” he said. The government has allocated Rs. 230 million budget for the NTY-2011 promotion but delay in the full fledged budget has hit the campaign hard. Of the total allocated budget, Rs. 150 million is allocated to international promotion.
Given the fact that tourist arrival by air in 2009 was 378,712 in number, the 700,000 target to be brought by air may sound a little ambitious. Yet, at the same time the growing interest of international airlines connecting Nepal seems an encouraging factor.
As per the target set by the NTY-2011 working committee, next-door neighbors—China
and India—are the major focus. “We are exploring promotional partnership in India. Recently, we tied up with Dainik Jagaran Group, one of the largest circulated Indian dailies,” Acharya said.
As part of a pre-NTY marketing test, the promotional committee has launched a campaign ‘Garmi Se Behal, Chalo Nepal’ in India.
There will be constraints on budget to make a massive promotion in China. However, the NTY promotion committee has taken a different promotion strategy through public relation, events, internet and SMS
campaign. One reason that has kept many tourists from visiting Nepal is political instability and the air accessibility. But the NTY-2011 working committee major achievement aims to garner support from the political parties. The political parties have expressed commitment to shun bandas for the year 2011 but given the fluid political situation it is not completely certain.
In terms of air accessibility, Nepal has an Air Service Agreement with over 30
countries but there is no significant presence of the national flag carrier in the international arena. “Our tourism is getting more
dependent on international airlines which remain unpredictable,” said Rajendra Bajgai, general secretary of Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Adventure sports ease-up
SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, SEP 21 -
Following complaints by the Tourism Ministry and travel traders about the red tape requiring adventure tourists to obtain permits from multiple ministries and pay multifarious charges, the regulations have been changed to create a one-window system.
The Tourism Ministry will henceforth issue permits to conduct adventure activities in protected forest areas. Formerly, the Forest Ministry gave out the licenses.
The Forest Ministry used to collect separate fees for 10 tourism activities in the Himalaya and high hills which contain biological diversity needing conservation.
According to the Forest Ministry’s old regulations, anyone wanting to go skydiving, skiing, paragliding, bungee jumping, mountain biking, rafting, cannoning and abseiling, rock climbing and kayaking had to get a separate permit from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. “The new regulation has removed lengthy hassles and will give a boost to the tourism industry,” said Bikram Neupane, president of the Himalaya Rescue Association and coordinator of the ad hoc committee formed to lobby for simplification in the permit system.
Meanwhile, the proviso requiring a representative of the Department of National Parks to accompany tourists in the protected areas has also been scrapped. Similarly, government charges for adventure sports have been slashed in the revised regulations.
According to the new fee structure, the royalty for skydiving for tourists from the SAARC has been reduced to Rs. 2,000 from Rs. 6,000. The fee for other foreign tourists has been cut to US$ 100 from US$ 500. Charges for skiing, paragliding and para mountaineering have also been decreased to Rs. 1,000 from Rs. 6,000 for SAARC tourists and to US$ 50 from US$ 300 for other foreign visitors.
KATHMANDU, SEP 21 -
Following complaints by the Tourism Ministry and travel traders about the red tape requiring adventure tourists to obtain permits from multiple ministries and pay multifarious charges, the regulations have been changed to create a one-window system.
The Tourism Ministry will henceforth issue permits to conduct adventure activities in protected forest areas. Formerly, the Forest Ministry gave out the licenses.
The Forest Ministry used to collect separate fees for 10 tourism activities in the Himalaya and high hills which contain biological diversity needing conservation.
According to the Forest Ministry’s old regulations, anyone wanting to go skydiving, skiing, paragliding, bungee jumping, mountain biking, rafting, cannoning and abseiling, rock climbing and kayaking had to get a separate permit from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. “The new regulation has removed lengthy hassles and will give a boost to the tourism industry,” said Bikram Neupane, president of the Himalaya Rescue Association and coordinator of the ad hoc committee formed to lobby for simplification in the permit system.
Meanwhile, the proviso requiring a representative of the Department of National Parks to accompany tourists in the protected areas has also been scrapped. Similarly, government charges for adventure sports have been slashed in the revised regulations.
According to the new fee structure, the royalty for skydiving for tourists from the SAARC has been reduced to Rs. 2,000 from Rs. 6,000. The fee for other foreign tourists has been cut to US$ 100 from US$ 500. Charges for skiing, paragliding and para mountaineering have also been decreased to Rs. 1,000 from Rs. 6,000 for SAARC tourists and to US$ 50 from US$ 300 for other foreign visitors.
Production rate of pulse crops expected to rise 3pc
SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, SEP 22 -
Production of pulses is expected to increase this year by 3 percent to 262,000 tons. After two straight years of decline, the production has shown some improvement since last year.
Output had reached an all-time high in 2006-07 with 274,375 tons of pulses including lentil, pigeon pea, black gram, soybean and other varieties being produced. Though there was only marginal decline in the production area, the output shrunk by 1.67 percent and 5.33 percent in 2007-08 and 2008-09 respectively, according to statistics of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
However, the overall yield has declined in the last four years. From 859 kg per hectare in 2006-07, it has declined to 821 kg per hectare in the last fiscal year. Agro entrepreneurs and analysts said Nepal was gradually losing out on pulse production as there had been no growth in cultivable area and productivity. Despite the growth in 2009-10, pulse production in Nepal witnessed a negative growth rate of 3.25 percent over the last five years.
Pulses (particularly lentils) are one of the high-value crops of the country that government is looking to substitute imports. According to exporters, Nepali pulses are in high demand in Bangladesh and Bhutan.
In fact, Bangladesh and Bhutan are the highest importers of Nepali pulses.
The fall in production and the government’s export ban last year for six months has resulted in a decline in the net export of pulses to India. Pulse exports dropped by 92.8 percent in 2009-10. The export of pulses to India amounted to Rs. 381.6 million in 2008-09, which nosedived to Rs. 27.6 million in 2009-10. Exports were worth Rs. 314.8 million in 2007-08, according to Nepal Rastra Bank statistics.
According to the central bank’s data, exports to third countries also declined by 36 percent to Rs. 3,952 million in 2009-10 from Rs. 6,247 million in 2008-09. Pulses exports to third countries had increased by 328 percent in 2008-09.
“Exports went down as the result of a government ban imposed last year in response to pressure that the country might face a food deficit after India stopped exports,” said Ajay Parajuli, executive secretary, Association of Nepalese Rice, Oil and Pulses Industry. However, after entrepreneurs assured the government that exports would not affect the country’s food supply, the government lifted the ban. Bangladesh is the major market for Nepali pulses, Parajuli said.
He said that production had been gradually declining for the last couple of years. “Farmers are attracted towards vegetables as they yield quick and handsome income as compared to pulses. Similarly, there are no incentives from the government to encourage pulses farming,” he said.
As pulses are not an important crop for human consumption in most of the major developed countries and some of the developing economies and are mainly used as animal feed, supplies to overseas markets are limited. Thus, if the production rate of the major pulse consuming countries declines, it becomes difficult for the global markets to fill up the gap.
Prakash Oli, deputy director of Agro Enterprise Centre at the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), said that Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) conducts research on pulses (especially lentils) and has 10 improved varieties until 2008 under the seed multiplication programme.
However, inadequate dissemination and research extension of the products has compelled farmers to use old and traditional seeds, which is the main reason that pulses production growth remained stagnant.
“Lentils hold huge export prospects and the FNCCI has recently discussed with the visiting Chinese delegation for the import of improved seeds,” he said. The Chinese were positive and asked for a product list of the seeds that Nepal wants to implement, he added.
“Pulse production growth rate is sluggish pace,” admitted Hari Dahal, spokesperson at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Area, production and yield of pulse crops in Nepal
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10
Area 319,557 320,431 313,269 319,486
Production 274,375 269,776 255,384 262,000
Yield 859 842 815 821
(Area in hectares, production in tons and yield in kg per hectare) Source: MoAC
KATHMANDU, SEP 22 -
Production of pulses is expected to increase this year by 3 percent to 262,000 tons. After two straight years of decline, the production has shown some improvement since last year.
Output had reached an all-time high in 2006-07 with 274,375 tons of pulses including lentil, pigeon pea, black gram, soybean and other varieties being produced. Though there was only marginal decline in the production area, the output shrunk by 1.67 percent and 5.33 percent in 2007-08 and 2008-09 respectively, according to statistics of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
However, the overall yield has declined in the last four years. From 859 kg per hectare in 2006-07, it has declined to 821 kg per hectare in the last fiscal year. Agro entrepreneurs and analysts said Nepal was gradually losing out on pulse production as there had been no growth in cultivable area and productivity. Despite the growth in 2009-10, pulse production in Nepal witnessed a negative growth rate of 3.25 percent over the last five years.
Pulses (particularly lentils) are one of the high-value crops of the country that government is looking to substitute imports. According to exporters, Nepali pulses are in high demand in Bangladesh and Bhutan.
In fact, Bangladesh and Bhutan are the highest importers of Nepali pulses.
The fall in production and the government’s export ban last year for six months has resulted in a decline in the net export of pulses to India. Pulse exports dropped by 92.8 percent in 2009-10. The export of pulses to India amounted to Rs. 381.6 million in 2008-09, which nosedived to Rs. 27.6 million in 2009-10. Exports were worth Rs. 314.8 million in 2007-08, according to Nepal Rastra Bank statistics.
According to the central bank’s data, exports to third countries also declined by 36 percent to Rs. 3,952 million in 2009-10 from Rs. 6,247 million in 2008-09. Pulses exports to third countries had increased by 328 percent in 2008-09.
“Exports went down as the result of a government ban imposed last year in response to pressure that the country might face a food deficit after India stopped exports,” said Ajay Parajuli, executive secretary, Association of Nepalese Rice, Oil and Pulses Industry. However, after entrepreneurs assured the government that exports would not affect the country’s food supply, the government lifted the ban. Bangladesh is the major market for Nepali pulses, Parajuli said.
He said that production had been gradually declining for the last couple of years. “Farmers are attracted towards vegetables as they yield quick and handsome income as compared to pulses. Similarly, there are no incentives from the government to encourage pulses farming,” he said.
As pulses are not an important crop for human consumption in most of the major developed countries and some of the developing economies and are mainly used as animal feed, supplies to overseas markets are limited. Thus, if the production rate of the major pulse consuming countries declines, it becomes difficult for the global markets to fill up the gap.
Prakash Oli, deputy director of Agro Enterprise Centre at the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), said that Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC) conducts research on pulses (especially lentils) and has 10 improved varieties until 2008 under the seed multiplication programme.
However, inadequate dissemination and research extension of the products has compelled farmers to use old and traditional seeds, which is the main reason that pulses production growth remained stagnant.
“Lentils hold huge export prospects and the FNCCI has recently discussed with the visiting Chinese delegation for the import of improved seeds,” he said. The Chinese were positive and asked for a product list of the seeds that Nepal wants to implement, he added.
“Pulse production growth rate is sluggish pace,” admitted Hari Dahal, spokesperson at the Ministry of Agriculture.
Area, production and yield of pulse crops in Nepal
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10
Area 319,557 320,431 313,269 319,486
Production 274,375 269,776 255,384 262,000
Yield 859 842 815 821
(Area in hectares, production in tons and yield in kg per hectare) Source: MoAC
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Nepal-China flights to be increased
SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, SEP 17 -
China Southern and Tibetan Airlines will be flying to Nepal if things go as planned.
Officials of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) returning from the fourth meeting of the Tibet-Nepal Joint Tourism Coordination Committee held in Lhasa said that the Nepal government would encourage these two airlines to link Nepal.
“China is positive about increasing the frequency of flights between Nepal and China,” said MoTCA spokesman Laxman Prasad Bhattarai who led the Nepali delegation in Lhasa.
Currently, China Airlines and China Eastern operate flights to Nepal. The country has targeted attracting 100,000 Chinese tourists during Nepal Tourism Year 2011.
“An increase in the number of carriers serving Nepal will make the airfares more competitive,” Bhattarai added.
Another major achievement of the meeting is the Chinese side agreeing to allow Nepali helicopter services to make rescue flights in the Manasarovar region of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
As part of the mutual tourism development strategy, the Tibet Tourism Bureau gave the green signal to the request made by the Nepali delegation. However, it will take some time to get the final approval from the Chinese government.
The bureau will also consider the process to allow chartered helicopter services by Nepali tour operators and travel agencies.
Currently, a lengthy procedure is involved before Nepal can operate rescue flights in Tibet with the application needing to be forwarded to Beijing by the Tibet Tourism Centre.
Likewise, the Tibet Tourism Bureau has also agreed to provide visas to international visitors from Nepal.
“The country’s aim is to increase the number of tourists, so we will monitor and scrutinize all documents and process them properly before issuing visas to ensure that no unlawful activities take place,” said Kishore Thapa, secretary at the MoTCA.
KATHMANDU, SEP 17 -
China Southern and Tibetan Airlines will be flying to Nepal if things go as planned.
Officials of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) returning from the fourth meeting of the Tibet-Nepal Joint Tourism Coordination Committee held in Lhasa said that the Nepal government would encourage these two airlines to link Nepal.
“China is positive about increasing the frequency of flights between Nepal and China,” said MoTCA spokesman Laxman Prasad Bhattarai who led the Nepali delegation in Lhasa.
Currently, China Airlines and China Eastern operate flights to Nepal. The country has targeted attracting 100,000 Chinese tourists during Nepal Tourism Year 2011.
“An increase in the number of carriers serving Nepal will make the airfares more competitive,” Bhattarai added.
Another major achievement of the meeting is the Chinese side agreeing to allow Nepali helicopter services to make rescue flights in the Manasarovar region of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
As part of the mutual tourism development strategy, the Tibet Tourism Bureau gave the green signal to the request made by the Nepali delegation. However, it will take some time to get the final approval from the Chinese government.
The bureau will also consider the process to allow chartered helicopter services by Nepali tour operators and travel agencies.
Currently, a lengthy procedure is involved before Nepal can operate rescue flights in Tibet with the application needing to be forwarded to Beijing by the Tibet Tourism Centre.
Likewise, the Tibet Tourism Bureau has also agreed to provide visas to international visitors from Nepal.
“The country’s aim is to increase the number of tourists, so we will monitor and scrutinize all documents and process them properly before issuing visas to ensure that no unlawful activities take place,” said Kishore Thapa, secretary at the MoTCA.
The ticket rush
SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, SEP 18 -
International airlines flying to Nepal have reported massive bookings for the next
two months as the tourism industry enters
the high season.
Major international carriers have received 85 percent bookings on flights into Nepal, said travel trade entrepreneurs. Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air and Etihad Airways have almost 100 percent bookings for October and November.
Ditto airlines from India. Jet Airways, Jet Lite, Spice Jet, Kingfisher and Indian Airlines have over 80 percent bookings from Sept. 29 to Nov. 20.
“Most of the airlines we deal with are overbooked,” said Siddhartha Thapa, operation director of President Travel. “This is the time when migrant workers also return to the country to celebrate Dashain, hence there is a huge demand for air tickets.”
Some of the international carriers don’t have tickets available for the next two months. “We have been informed that some of the carriers do not have tickets available for the next couple of months,” said Shyam Raj Thapaliya, managing director of Osho World Travels Nepal. International passengers coming from Bangkok, Doha, Oman and Abu Dhabi are facing a seat crunch during the October-November season.
Higher bookings for autumn make a huge difference to the airline sector as it is the main tourist season along with April and May. Around 30 percent of the total tourist arrivals occur during this time.
“Inbound bookings for the coming two months have increased significantly compared to the same period last year,” said Alasdair Boyd, manager of Dragonair in Nepal. According to Boyd, Dragonair has a majority of bookings from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the US. Poor air connectivity has been the major constraint of Nepali tourism with the national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation in a sorry state. However, the arrival of more international airlines in Nepali skies has been a compensation. More than half a dozen international airlines have started their service to Nepal since 2009 with Oman Air being the latest entry. As of now, 27 international airlines are operating in Nepal. “The increment in flight movements has upped the overall inbound segment,” said Thapaliya.
The start of the new tourist season has also resulted in an increase in the frequency of flights to Nepal by international airlines. Hong Kong-based Dragonair has recently increased its Hong Kong-Kathmandu service to six flights per week from three flights. It is planning to operate seven days a week from November, subject to government approval.
Airlines with over 100 percent bookings
Thai Airways Booked from Sept. 25-Nov. 28
Qatar Airways Booked from Sept. 26-Dec. 17
Gulf Air Booked from Oct. 10-Dec. 9
Etihad Airways Booked from Oct. 8-Nov. 27
KATHMANDU, SEP 18 -
International airlines flying to Nepal have reported massive bookings for the next
two months as the tourism industry enters
the high season.
Major international carriers have received 85 percent bookings on flights into Nepal, said travel trade entrepreneurs. Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air and Etihad Airways have almost 100 percent bookings for October and November.
Ditto airlines from India. Jet Airways, Jet Lite, Spice Jet, Kingfisher and Indian Airlines have over 80 percent bookings from Sept. 29 to Nov. 20.
“Most of the airlines we deal with are overbooked,” said Siddhartha Thapa, operation director of President Travel. “This is the time when migrant workers also return to the country to celebrate Dashain, hence there is a huge demand for air tickets.”
Some of the international carriers don’t have tickets available for the next two months. “We have been informed that some of the carriers do not have tickets available for the next couple of months,” said Shyam Raj Thapaliya, managing director of Osho World Travels Nepal. International passengers coming from Bangkok, Doha, Oman and Abu Dhabi are facing a seat crunch during the October-November season.
Higher bookings for autumn make a huge difference to the airline sector as it is the main tourist season along with April and May. Around 30 percent of the total tourist arrivals occur during this time.
“Inbound bookings for the coming two months have increased significantly compared to the same period last year,” said Alasdair Boyd, manager of Dragonair in Nepal. According to Boyd, Dragonair has a majority of bookings from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the US. Poor air connectivity has been the major constraint of Nepali tourism with the national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation in a sorry state. However, the arrival of more international airlines in Nepali skies has been a compensation. More than half a dozen international airlines have started their service to Nepal since 2009 with Oman Air being the latest entry. As of now, 27 international airlines are operating in Nepal. “The increment in flight movements has upped the overall inbound segment,” said Thapaliya.
The start of the new tourist season has also resulted in an increase in the frequency of flights to Nepal by international airlines. Hong Kong-based Dragonair has recently increased its Hong Kong-Kathmandu service to six flights per week from three flights. It is planning to operate seven days a week from November, subject to government approval.
Airlines with over 100 percent bookings
Thai Airways Booked from Sept. 25-Nov. 28
Qatar Airways Booked from Sept. 26-Dec. 17
Gulf Air Booked from Oct. 10-Dec. 9
Etihad Airways Booked from Oct. 8-Nov. 27
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Kathmandu-Lhasa bus to run again
SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, SEP 16 -
Nepal and China are trying to revive the Kathmandu-Lhasa direct bus service which shut down four years ago to give a fillip to the upcoming Nepal Tourism Year 2011.
The two sides have agreed in principle to resume the service through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the recently concluded fourth meeting of the Tibet-Nepal Joint Tourism Coordination Committee.
Laxman Bhattarai, joint secretary of the Tourism Ministry, and Ba Zhu, director general of the Tourism Bureau of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, signed the MoU. The service started on May 1, 2005 and was stopped in 2006. The two sides had planned to resume the service in 2008 but nothing came of it due to permit hassles.
State-owned Sajha Yatayat operated the twice-weekly Kathmandu-Lhasa service. China’s refusal to give visas to individuals caused the bus service to come to a complete halt. Attempts were also made to resume the service during the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Nepal and China have agreed to promote NTY 2011 in Tibet through TV, radio and hoarding boards at major crossroads in Tibet. The two sides have also agreed to allow Nepali operators to conduct regular helicopter and charter services to Manasarovar, Tibet and provide Tibet visas to international tourists from Nepal.
The Tibetan side has assured its Nepali counterpart that it would do its best to achieve the target of NTY 2011.
Similarly, the two governments have agreed to work closely through their respective diplomatic channels to get more Chinese airlines to fly the Lhasa-Kathmandu route, states a press statement issued by the Nepal Tourism Board.
The members of the Nepali delegation have extended an invitation to their Tibetan counterparts for the next round of the meeting to be held in Kathmandu in November next year.
KATHMANDU, SEP 16 -
Nepal and China are trying to revive the Kathmandu-Lhasa direct bus service which shut down four years ago to give a fillip to the upcoming Nepal Tourism Year 2011.
The two sides have agreed in principle to resume the service through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the recently concluded fourth meeting of the Tibet-Nepal Joint Tourism Coordination Committee.
Laxman Bhattarai, joint secretary of the Tourism Ministry, and Ba Zhu, director general of the Tourism Bureau of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, signed the MoU. The service started on May 1, 2005 and was stopped in 2006. The two sides had planned to resume the service in 2008 but nothing came of it due to permit hassles.
State-owned Sajha Yatayat operated the twice-weekly Kathmandu-Lhasa service. China’s refusal to give visas to individuals caused the bus service to come to a complete halt. Attempts were also made to resume the service during the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Nepal and China have agreed to promote NTY 2011 in Tibet through TV, radio and hoarding boards at major crossroads in Tibet. The two sides have also agreed to allow Nepali operators to conduct regular helicopter and charter services to Manasarovar, Tibet and provide Tibet visas to international tourists from Nepal.
The Tibetan side has assured its Nepali counterpart that it would do its best to achieve the target of NTY 2011.
Similarly, the two governments have agreed to work closely through their respective diplomatic channels to get more Chinese airlines to fly the Lhasa-Kathmandu route, states a press statement issued by the Nepal Tourism Board.
The members of the Nepali delegation have extended an invitation to their Tibetan counterparts for the next round of the meeting to be held in Kathmandu in November next year.
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