New trekking trails open for NTY-2011

SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, OCT 02 -

Trekking agencies and the government have unveiled new trekking trails and upgraded old ones for Nepal Tourism Year 2011.

The effort aims to prolong tourist stay in Nepal. Since the trekking routes are at least seven days long, they will help to lengthen visitor stay and increase spending in remote areas. The response of over 132,000 visitors for trekking and mountaineering in Nepal last year has also encouraged trekking entrepreneurs to develop new products.

Currently, 95 percent of the 120,000 trekkers visiting Nepal annually do not go beyond the Annapurna, Langtang or Everest regions. Only around 6,200 trekkers venture off the beaten track.

On Sept. 27, the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (TAAN) unveiled three trekking routes—Panch Pokhari-Bhairav Kunda in Sindhupalchok, Dhorpatan in Baglung and Galeshwar of Myagdi—aiming to diversify tourists to these destinations next year. Bhairav Kund will provide experience of 10 days trekking to a shaman pilgrimage site through its traditional villages in spectacular Himalayan landscapes to reach the holy lake Bhairav Kund.

Panch Pokhari gives an experience 12 days that passes five holy lakes. This area, northeast of Kathmandu, offers a combination of rich cultural heritage, unsurpassed beauty and biological diversity. The Galeshwar of Myagdi will give a seven-day experience to trekkers that starts from Beni and ends in the same place. TAAN is also introducing the Lower-Solu trekking route in the southern part of Lukla soon, Bachhu Narayan Shrestha, first vice-president of TAAN told the Post.

Similarly, the Great Himalaya Trail (GHT), the longest and highest alpine walking track in the world, is scheduled to be inaugurated on Jan. 14, 2011 in Kathmandu. The NTY 2011 implementing committee announced the launching of the trail as a new product aimed at attracting trekkers from around the world.

Trekking entrepreneurs said that the new product would help diversify a large number of tourists to different unexploited trekking destinations that would benefit the mountain people with employment and production opportunities who are isolated even though having huge tourism prospects. Mardi Trek is another new route that tourism entrepreneurs of Pokhara are looking to launch next year. The Mardi Management Committee in Pokhara plans to operate Mardi Himal Trek route explored in the Machhapuchchhre model trek area. On the other hand, the government is also planning to launch some trekking routes that were developed last year and are scheduled to be completed this year.

Rabi Shah, project manager at the Tourism Infrastructure Development Project under the Tourism Ministry, said that some new trekking trails are in the process of being launched this year while some of them are being improved.

The Tourism Ministry is planning to open a new trekking route circling the Kathmandu Valley and encompassing the capital and the neighbouring districts of Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. The route is 131 km in length.

This circular trekking route will link the four major peaks around the valley --Shivapuri (2,453 m), Phulchoki (2,765 m), Chandragiri (2,522 m) and Nagarjun (2,697 m). According

to Shah, the Budhanilkantha-Nuwakot-Gosaikunda, Dhulikhel-Nagarkot, Dakshinkali-Champagiri-Machhegaon, Nagarjun (Phoolbarigate)-Jamacho, Chandragiri-Tistung trekking routes in Makwanpur and Dhulikhel-Nagarkot are in progress, of which some will be launched within 2011.

The Nepal Ecological and Tourism Awareness Front (NETAF), the Nagar Naldum Tourism Development Committee and the Guide Association, Kavre have recently launched a hiking route from Nagarkot to Dhulikhel. However, Shah said that the trail was still not completed as work remains to be done on the Sanga side.

“The government has allocated Rs. 50 million to these projects for last year; however, the project was looking for new budget this year to get its final touch,” Shah added.

As Nepal is well known as one of the best destinations in the world for enjoying the real beauty of nature through trekking, trekking entrepreneurs are hopeful that they might double the existing number of trekkers next year.

Trekking in Nepal is an all season activity. It is possible at any time of the year depending on where one goes. However, the most popular seasons are spring (February-May) and autumn (September-November).

Wanderlust Seizes Nepalis

SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, SEP 30 -
Travel agents are reporting an increase in outbound bookings as Nepalis get bitten by the travel bug during the Dashain holidays. In addition, tour packages have become more affordable and disposable incomes have swelled leading more Nepalis to seek adventure in faraway lands.

Most of the bookings are for tour packages to Bangkok followed by Malaysia and Singapore. However, tour operators said that bookings for trips to other destinations such as Dubai, Mauritius, Switzerland, Japan, Egypt, China and some European destination were growing.

Neeli Shah, outbound executive of Malla Travels and Treks, said that although Thailand was the most popular destination for Nepali fun seekers, enquiries for other new destinations were on the rise.

President Travel & Tours is also receiving inquiries for other destinations apart from Thailand and Malaysia, mainly due to simplification of visa procedures by European countries.

Sabina Nagarkoti, tour sales executive of President Travels, said that they had already sold more than 100 packages for Bangkok, more than 25 for Malaysia and more than 35 packages to Singapore for October. "Tour sales are encouraging this festive season compared to the last one," she added.

Marco Polo Travels that deals in tours to Thailand, Malaysia, Egypt and China has already sold 60 packages to Bangkok, 40 each to Malaysia and Singapore. "We have also sold five-six packages to Egypt for this Dashain," said Prajita Satyal, sales executive of Marco Polo Travels. Last year, the agency sold over 500 packages.

According to travel agencies, people want to get away from their daily routine here. Moreover, the packages offer what they want. A wide range of amusement available in different places are attracting Nepali travellers.

Amogh Shakya, chief executive officer of Lalit Mandap Travels & Tours, said that tour packages to China were encouraging this season. "We have sold 30-32 packages to China." The agency also sold 10 packages to Europe this season.

Lalit Mandap Travels has sold over 64 packages to Thailand, and over 20 combined packages to Malaysia and Singapore.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the number of Nepali holidaymakers visiting foreign countries increased by 26 percent to 27,679 in 2009 from 21,899 in 2008.

Changing lifestyles of the younger generation combined with simplified visa procedures and easy availability of tour packages have spurred Nepalis to travel and see the world, said travel agents.

An expanding middle class in Nepal is another reason for the growth in outbound. A recent report published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) entitled "The Rise of Asia's Middle Class" said that there were 1.41 million people in Nepal earning US$ 4-10 per day. Similarly, 230,000 Nepalis earn US$ 10-20 per day and 100,000 people make more than US$ 20 per day.





Marco Polo Travels

Destination: Bangkok

Packages: 5 nights 6 days

Accommodation: 3 star

Price: Rs. 10,252 (excluding airfare)

Destination: Malaysia

Packages: 5 nights 6 days

Accommodation: 3 star

Price: Rs. 15,884

Destination: Singapore

Packages: 3 nights 4 days

Accommodation: 3 star

Price: Rs. 14,440



Lalit Mandap Travels & Tours

Destination: Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore (combined)

Packages: 12 days

Accommodation: 4 star

Price: Rs. 142,000 (all-inclusive)

Destination: Bangkok

Packages: 8 days

Accommodation: 4 star

Price: Rs. 69,900 (all-inclusive)

Destination: Europe

Packages: 12 days

Accommodation: deluxe three star

Price: Rs. 295,000 (all-inclusive)







Malla Travels &Treks

Destination: Bangkok

Packages: 5 nights 6 days

Accommodation: 3 star

Price: Rs. 13,000 (excluding airfare)

Destination: Dubai

Packages: 3 nights 4 days

Accommodation: 3 star

Price: Rs. 14,000 to 15,000 (excluding airfare)

Destination: Mauritius

Packages: 4 nights 5 days

Accommodation: 3 star

Price: 16,245 (excluding airfare)



President Travel & Tours

Destination: Bangkok

Packages: 4 nights 5 days

Accommodation: 3 star

Price: Rs. 11,999 (excluding airfare)

Destination: Malaysia

Packages: 4 nights 5 days

Accommodation: 3 star

Price: Rs. 14,500 (excluding airfare)

Destination: Singapore

Packages: 2 nights 3 days

Accommodation: 3 star

Price: 12,000 (excluding airfare)

Airlines add flights to handle Dashain rush

SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, SEP 28 -
Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) and other domestic carriers are adding special flights during Dashain to cater to the increased number of travellers during the festive season.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), NAC has been permitted to operate 71 additional flights while Tara Air’s application to add 13 flights is being processed. A CAAN official said that airlines usually apply to increase their frequency during the Dashain and Tihar holidays.

“Long-haul routes have adequate surface transportation services, and the additional flights will fulfil the needs of travellers going to remote areas,” said Ram Dinesh Lal Karna, manager at the CAAN flights permission section.

Tara Air currently operates two flights weekly between Kathmandu and Lamidanda, Phaplu, Rumjatar and Ramechhap. The carrier has asked for two additional flights to each destination. Tara flies once a week between Nepalgunj and Simikot, Dolpa, Bajura, Rara and Jumla in the far west sector and has applied to double the frequency.

“CAAN will be closed during the festivals and Tribhuvan International Airport will deal with applications to operate extra flights,” Karna added. The festival rush has started with major domestic airlines reporting a flood of advance bookings. Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines, Guna Airlines and Agni Air said that seats on the major trunk routes were almost sold out. The rush is most evident on the Kathmandu-Biratnagar and Kathmandu-Bhadrapur sectors with flights from Oct. 8-19 (from Ghatasthapana to the end of the festival) almost all fully booked.

In response to the rush, Buddha Air said that it would be adding one flight on each sector. Yeti Airlines plans to increase the frequency by two-three flights on certain days as per demand.

Agni Air, which currently flies four times to Biratnagar and twice to Bhadrapur daily, plans to add three-four flights to handle the Dashain crowds. Guna Airlines has decided to add three flights

on the eastern sector for Dashain. The carrier also plans to start

operations to Bhadrapur and Bharatpur in October. The major reason behind the scarcity of air seats is that a number of domestic airlines have been out of service for a couple of years.

Thailand, Malaysia potential markets for Jumla apples

SANGAM PRASAIN
KATHMANDU, SEP 23 -
Organic apples from Jumla may find a market in Thailand and Malaysia. With demand for Jumla’s A grade organic apples picking up in the domestic market, traders are now looking for export opportunities.

SNV, the Netherlands’s development organization which is running an improved apple production and marketing project in Jumla, said that Thailand and Malaysia were potential foreign markets for Nepali organic apples.

SNV Nepal, the District Agricultural Development Office in Jumla, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Vision are helping the farmers to improve production and marketing. In 2007, Jumla declared itself an organic district.

In 2007/08 apples were grown on 548 hectares and production was estimated at 5,425 tons. However, only about 100-150 tons were shipped out by air.

“Three apple cooperatives have already been organic certified according to the national organic guidelines; however, if they could get international certification, export opportunities would increase,” said Rik van Keulen, sector leader of Small Holder Cash Crops SNV Nepal.

Lack of transportation and marketing is the main reason why apple growers in Jumla have not been able to benefit as much as they could.

Presently, apples are being grown on 1,500 hectares. And although the harvest has just started, more than 2,000 tons of apples have been picked.

“Before 2009, these apples were hardly marketable due to various reasons,” Keulen said. Apple farmers were not organized, and they received the very low price of Rs. 10 per kg before. In 2009, three apple cooperatives united and bargained for better prices. All these efforts have increased price from Rs. 10 to Rs. 30 per kg.

Because of this success, nine apple cooperatives have united under the District Cooperative Federation and have signed a contract with a Kathmandu fruit company called B.H. Enterprises for the supply of 100 tons.

B.H Enterprises and organic wholesaler Organic World Fair Future are supplying Jumla organic apples in the domestic markets.

“We have started selling organic apples from Jumla for the first time, and within one month of the launch, we have been getting a good response,” said Govinda Shrestha, proprietor of Organic World Fair Future.

Shrestha added that they had supplied 200 kg and plan to increase the volume gradually. According to him, foreigners are the major customers of these apples.

50pc of tourists Indians: NTB

SANGAM PRASAIN
SEP 24 -
India not only sends the highest number of tourists to Nepal by air but also by land. A recent survey done by the Nepal Tourism Board shows that out of the 429,455 overland tourists who visited Nepal in 2009, Indian visitors numbered 298,821.

According to the study entitled “Indian Visitors Survey of Nepal by Land 2009”, most of the travellers entered Nepal through eight border points.

Nepal currently receives over half a million visitors annually among whom 20-23 percent are Indians. This figure does not include Indian travellers entering the country by land as they are not required to register and go through frontier formalities. Till date, Indian arrivals by land have not been included in the country’s tourism data.

“The aim of the NTB survey is to add to the current streams of data on Indian tourist arrivals and provide valuable support to policymakers and planners,” states the NTB report. Taking into account the NTB survey and the statistics of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, the total arrivals in the country in 2009 can be put at 808,777, out of whom 48 percent were Indians.

“Until now, the country has only been counting the tourists who contribute dollars to the national economy. However, our opinion is that any visitor contributing a single penny to the economy should be considered as tourists,” said NTB spokesman Aditya Baral. Among the various border points, Belhiya (Bhairahawa) was found to be the most important in terms of Indian tourist arrivals by land with almost 33 percent of them entering Nepal through here.

Other major entry points were Vittamod (Janakpur) with 19 percent, Birgunj with 17 percent and Kakkarbhitta with 14 percent.

Nepal is targeting one million tourists during Nepal Tourism Year 2011. Among them, the country expects to host 265,000 visitors from the southern neighbour.

India is one of the fastest growing outbound travel markets in the world. The statistics of the European Travel Commission show there were 10.87 million outbound trips by Indian nationals in 2008. The United Nations World Tourism Organization has predicted that by 2020 India will account for 50 million outbound visitors, continuing to maintain its growth momentum.

“Our aim is to attract high-end tourists from India during Nepal Tourism Year, however; the unaccounted Indian arrivals through the overland entry points are also a positive indication as it does not mean that Indian tourists coming by air only spend more compared to others,” Baral added.







Tourist entry from india to nepal

Border Points Total

Bhairahawa 140,744

Janakpur 80,217

Birgunj 72,290

Kakkarbhitta 60,847

Mahendranagar 43,567

Biratnagar 21,185

Dhangadhi 5,874

Nepalgunj 4,731

Total 429,455



Indian vehicles entering Nepal

Border Points Total

Bhairahawa 23,229

Janakpur 15,880

Kakkarbhitta 11,798

Birgunj 11,247

Mahendranagar 9,574

Biratnagar 5,420

Dhangadhi 1,569

Nepalgunj 999

Source: NTB Survey

Little big man: Magar enlisted to push NTY

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.

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.