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.
