News –KailashHimalaya August 2019

Looking Forward to Visit Nepal Year 2020             

Government of Nepal had announced “Visit Nepal Year -2020” about three year after the Earthquake in April 2015 to push forward the sluggish growth of incoming visitors. This announcement encouraged private investors to invest in luxury hotels. There are now 5 new five star hotels that have sprung up in the country. There are huge investments in smaller hotels, restaurants and lodges all over the country. The tourism business environment has been upbeat since then. Lodges and infrastructure on the main trekking trails that were damaged and destroyed in the earth quack are rebuilt and repaired. Many temples and historical monuments in Kathmandu valley are in the process of completion and some of are under repair. Statistics of 2018 shows there is 25% increase in visitor’s arrival. The figures 1.17 million arrival is encouraging enough for tourism entrepreneurs to looking forward to 2020. Now it is just around the corner.

The sluggish growth in the past years was very much attached to performance of Nepal Airline. The growth of tourism was always associated with the good performance of the national flag carrier. For more than a decade the national career faced problems of aircraft shortage, bad management and corruption. Dismal performance and shrinking of its international flights network almost bought the airline out of business. Nepal government finally salvaged it by helping the airline to get some small aircrafts from China and acquiring two wide body long hauls Airbus for its international flights. This measure has raised hope in the healthy growth of tourist arrival despite the ban imposed by European Union to the airlines registered in Nepal on the security ground.

As usual in Nepalese management of such event, the government at the last minute finally formed an apex body to manage the campaign last year. It did not start work until the spring of 2019.  Couple with late start many entrepreneurs think the much hyped international airport in Lumbini may not be ready to do business as and when visit 2020 kicks off in January even though the airport may be ready to operate. In the public relation front, the government have not yet salvaged itself from the rescue helicopter scam that had tarnished its’ imaged due to charge of cover up of the scam itself. In the spring 2019 it also had to face bad management charge because of record death of climbers in climbing Mt. Everest.

The tourism industry that contributed 7 percent of GDP and one of the main foreign exchange earners is the only hope beside hydro power to help the country in its problem with balance of payment and rapid increase in employment. The newly appointed minister of tourism filled the vacancy after five month that itself indicates inefficiency of the present government.

Infrastructure and capacity to cater 2 million tourists would not be a problem yet the tourism products that we have now remained almost same since decades except some addition in quick adventures. Trek destinations are almost same. Apart from popular lodge trek destinations like Everest, Langtang and Annapurna the off the beaten trails that were pioneered in 1970’s and 80’s continues to draw increasingly less number of hard core trekkers.  Most tours are concentrated in Kathmandu and Pokhara valley. Chitwan Jungle continues to offer same wild life safari and activities without much variation though several luxury hotels and resorts have come up. If we are to believe only on the basis of this information you may think the visit Nepal 2020 is old wine in a new bottle.

Yes it is old wine, but now there are different bottles. And the old wine will be of different varieties. The provincial governments want to make ‘Visit Nepal 2020’ a special occasion to attract visitors to their own states. They want to pitch their own tourism products that are not being displayed as regular tourism activities. I am sure they will soon come up with attractive offer that are different and attractive to get the attention of international visitors. The other advantage you may have is Nepal tourism exposure in the international market. Huge financial budget has been set aside for promotion in major tourists’ source market. Among them Europe is in focus in the campaign office. We hope to have some dazzling offer by tourism entrepreneurs, provincial governments, and Ministry of Tourism of the central government in the days to come. We will keep you updated on this aspect.

Nepal Government have raised visa fees, after a decade

This has become effective from Jul 16, 2019.  Now Tourist visa fees would be US$30 for 15 days, US$50 for 30 days and US$125 for 90 days for multiple-entry. The increased in visa fees is across the board in all categories.

Road from Kora-la, in Mustang to link Pokhara and down southern border

After Nepal became republic and  federal state the aspiration for development and prosperity of the local people have jumped very high. The state governments are excited to develop their state in fast track. In their hope tourism and trade has become two of the best medium to meet their aspirations. Actually the work to link north south trade access route and east west middle hill road linking every districts  have been going on for decades. Though the roads are still incomplete and in rough condition but villagers are happy to get road access despite the danger caused by haphazard road constructions that has caused landslides. Read More

Road from Hilsa to Surkhet to link Nepaljung and down southern border

The government of Far West 7th Province became buoyant when the Chinese construction company gave a road construction feasibility report just recently. They are joyed by the news that the company can finish the job in 54 months; that is very fast. Actually there is already a road construction going on that will link Simikot and the road from Simikot to Hilsa. A lot of hard spade work has already been done by Nepalese military to open up the corridor through difficult rock formation. Read More

PRODUCT

Visit Nar & Phu – Two of the most secluded villages in Manang

Don’t miss these villages when you trek Around Annapurna

Nar & Phu villages are located off the Around Annapurna main trekking trial en-route to Manang. It is surrounded by Peri Himalaya to the north, Gangla and Gangru Himal to the east and Damodar Himal to the west. The villages are situated at the altitude of 3820 meter.  Being nestled inside the valley it is less windy but the lands are dry. Prof. David Snellgrove, a renowned Tibetologist, is the first westerner to have visited these villages. He described about the villages and the valley in his book Himalayan Pilgrimage. Their spoken dialect is different from Manang and Tibetan. Most of the houses are two-story with the entrance from the top. There are three Buddhist monasteries. Phu is located at the upper end of the valley. As in high mountain area people of the Nar Phu descends to warm region from December to February. People of Nar have closer relationship to Manang. Unlike people from Manang they do not trade widely, rather concentrate to nearby areas in the south. The Gurungs of Lamjung use the lamas of Nar Phu as they believe they are expert therefore they had great influence.  Read More

Special permit is required to visit these two villages. Contact us for detail

Explore Nar & Phu

Mountain Walking Experience in Nepal – Blog

A trek or hike in the mountains of Nepal is not a wilderness experience. It is rather a cultural and nature experience. It is a journey through various ethnic cultures, religion and geographical diversity of this small landlocked country. It is famous for God, Goddess, temples, brave Gurkha soldier, and climbers; of course the gleaming Himalayan range and Mt. Everest. There are rich varieties of flora and fauna within a limited area. Its topography starts from lowest elevation of about 100 meter in Terain plain to 5000 meter in the high mountain terrain. High peaks are from 6000 meter to Mt. Everest at 8848 meter above sea level. The mountains in the middle range are dotted with numerous villages. They are interlinked by footpaths. You use these networks of footpath made by local people to travel from village to village..Read More

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