Tourism! What Next in Nepal?

Eighty two years back when Kathmandu was in tremor there was virtually nothing for tourism industry to loose. Cultural heritage and property had their own significance, however we had not learnt to earn from our cherished assets that were laying on our backyard. Bringing heritage and property back to its formation was a matter of pride and honor to those rulers and so were the priority as the accountability towards people were none. Earthquake which devastated Kathmandu valley back in 1934 was never an issue as  tourism industry didn’t exist until 1951. This industry was yet to take the shape with the support of its own aviation fleet in 1958 as RNAC, which emerged as major and inevitable contributor in Nepalese tourism economy.

According to tourism employment survey 2014 this industry contributed two percent in GDP. Tourism Industry after all these years with 178,000 employees and more are in perfect dilemma due to recent earthquake. Industry which served 797616 tourists in 2013 with expectation to rise in 2014 comes to a total halt this year as the earthquake shook not only the ground but also shook the nourished thoughts of millions of prospective visitors looking forward to visit Nepal. 

Present scenario is another painful strike to all the professionals and amateurs in the industry which had just recovered from the downfall in business due to maoist insurgency for more than a decade. Despite huge experience and maturity in the region this industry never got an opportunity for its full growth. There has always been some visible and invisible hindrance contributing to its negative growth and this time visibly and physically this industry is challenged never like before.

Will this industry which helped Nepal collect nearly 43 billion rupees according to Nepal tourism statistic 2013 rise soon like before? If so how will it come back to life? What can be done to bring tourism back to track? It is indeed not only the question of one individual who is panicked from the trauma but now is national issue and has become quite significant to know about its future.

There is no doubt that we need long-term and short term strategy to overcome this crisis.

Offering Visit Nepal Year in the near future can be the perfect vision to revamp our national economy back to track. Working tradition is not effective, trend is critical and the jobs do not get accomplished in the given date. This sluggishness can be addressed if this industry gets a mission, time frame and reason to work. There is no doubt that this industry needs time to rebuilt itself and shine on its own better than before. So organizing systematic time-frame and monitoring accordingly will make our purpose more meaningful. Offering visit year will be the perfect motivational factor to encourage entrepreneurs, investors, visitors and other related stakeholders to regain their confidence in a given time. This effort will not only tell our people that we are back to business but also will deliver positive message to those millions looking forward to visit Nepal. 

Mission Visit Year will not only bring energy amongst all the stakeholders but also will give us a strong challenge to accomplish jobs within time limit. Mission to beautify Nepal and its infrastructure can be supported by the nation and it’s helping hands along with our skilled people. There is no other option than to build nation, it is a task that we need to accomplish no matter what, so building tourism friendly constructions and infrastructure not only will sustain economy but also will have multiple benefits in saving ways of life, business and culture. It is clear that without building earthquake resistant infrastructure people are not going to feel safe and secured so once we are ready let us tell the world what and how we are prepared. 

Cultural heritage and sites have their own blueprint to follow, however if the villages in effected area follow typicality of architecture following their own culture and tradition, home-stay can reimburse their loss in longer run and can always be used as a tourism asset in multiple means in the days to come. So rebuilding houses must be more than immediate survival kit. All the traditional houses damaged in the valley and other heritage sites can be encouraged to use typicality to save our identity rather than building concrete jungles. We in Nepal have abundance of local resources. There are lots of houses where rooftops are made of stone slates and this tradition is followed for years there is no logical point in replacing them with modern materials replacing our indigenous knowledge and an opportunity for our locals to earn. This is more than an opportunity to make Nepal tourism friendly country than to panic on what we have lost.

The government loan which is expected to come on lower interest facilities should encourage houses on heritage site to become not only heritage friendly but also should reflect the beauty of our woodcraft and our typical architecture. Which in multiple way can be fruitful to harness the tourism business.

Resettlement's are the compulsion now but can be used as an opportunity to enhance town and city development in appropriate manner. If only little understanding is shown in the resettlement process priority can be given to locations with scenic view which will give plenty of reason to develop tourism in the longer run. If the district center was given to Banepa and not to Dhulikhel the ability to cash the beauty of Dhulikhel would have gone in vain. 

Short term strategy for immediate recovery too needs a plan in a simple and effective way to overcome this standstill.

Of course our heritage will take some time to stand back to shine but our natural beauty is as beautiful as always. Simple way is to give interview in national papers about the natural beauty in Nepal and our ambassadors abroad can make effective use of it. However advertisement about Nepal in the papers must be used to revive business with positivity. Using paper advertisement is quite fast and effective measures to introduce a country when necessary, travel agencies hotels and corporate houses can do this together to uplift the name and fame of the nation.

As a matter of fact even after the quake our natural beauty, national parks, and many destinations are sound and good ready to welcome guests, so it is very important to advertise and let people know about our strength. Whether you like it or not Nepal did get international coverage in almost all the media that governs the global mainstream so it is indeed very important to cash the earthquake brand into positive one by providing beautiful and admiring information to many curious minds that may be willing to accept more information about Nepal now when they are familiar and curious about the country. 

Normally advertisement is focused more on BBC and CNN as it is a priority, however using local popular channels in their native language too can be of higher significance in various countries and cheaper to larger extent. It is indeed very important to let our prospective visitors know that our whole nation was not effected by earthquake, moreover our natural resources and beauty waits them as good as before.

Sending cultural group for performance and participation can also be the cost effective measure to enhance tourism marketing. Most importantly social media cannot be ignored in advertising Nepal in global scenario, only if we strike beautiful pictures or organize a competition on beautiful pictures of Nepal, we may be miles ahead in changing the perception about Nepal.

Little things should get started at our own effort on our own place. Domestic tourism is always a vital stream to keep industry lively. Motivational strategy and packages can help industry survive and that should come professionally sound and in healthy manner.