Orient Thai flies in Nepali sky

Orient Thai flies in Nepali sky

Orient Thai Airlines, a Thai budget airline company, began thrice-a-week flights between Bangkok and Kathmandu from December 29, 2007, becoming the ninth airline to fly in Nepal's sky in the last 14 months. The flights are operated with 170-seater MD-82 aircraft.

The number of airlines offering services to Nepal has doubled during this period, while several more added frequency.

With peace returning to Nepal, vacationers are flocking in and foreign airlines are flying high.

Experts urge integrated tourism promotion

Experts urge integrated tourism promotion

Tourism experts and entrepreneurs underscored the need of a well-planned and integrated promotional campaign to lure more tourists.

They also stressed on the need of a triangular partnership among the concerned stakeholders including government, private sector and common people in order to make such a campaign successful and have tangible impact on socio-economic development endeavours, reports the Himalayan Times.

Citing tourism as an ever changing and never-ending phenomenon, they noted that benefits of the industry should be proportionately re-distributed.

They were speaking at a seminar on ‘A million tourists: opportunities and challenges ahead’ jointly organised by Society of Economic Journalists of Nepal (SEJON) and Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), on December 30, 2007 commemorating NTB entering into 10th year.

“Tourism is a causative factor or catalyst for overall development, which requires facelift or dress up time to time,” Karna Shakya, a noted tourism expert and entrepreneur, said adding that the proposed event could freshen up image and boost up tourists confidence.

He further stressed on the need of innovation, product and destination diversification as well as coming up from conventional trend to cater diverse and changing needs in travel-tourism trade. “Tourism is not simply a trade. It is also a science of understanding human psychology,” Shakya added.

He urged the concerned stakeholders to converge in teamwork culture to ensure that tourism industry is a hassle-free sector. Shakya was of the opinion for the promotion of new and innovative products like endemic tourism, destination specific products and serves.

“Nepal holds tremendous potentials. So far we have used a small chunk of them,” he said. Former tourism secretary Dipendra Purush Dhakal also noted that the time has come for Nepal to launch a kind of promotional campaign to tap from the current growth in travel trade industry.

“Nepal needs to diversify tourism products and destination with a constant focus of developing rural tourism,” he said.

Dhakal urged for waiving restriction in controlled trekking areas and implementing self-regulating code of conduct for entrepreneurs.

Lila Mani Poudel, tourism secretary, informed that new initiatives for formulating new tourism policy and master plan and infrastructure development are underway to cater growing tourism prospects.

He said that exercises to launch a promotional campaign like Visit Nepal Year or similar is being carried out and will be formally announced after discussion with stakeholders. Poudel further said that new policies would be tied up with action plan and resources in order to yield better results.

“The proposed campaign would encompass social marketing strategies ensuring proportionate benefits of the industry to grassroots levels and other contributors,” he said. Explaining successes achieved and challenges faced by the industry, Prachanda Man Shrestha, CEO at the NTB, said the new areas and tourism products introduced in recent times have helped to bring the marginalised people into the mainstream and supported their livelihood.

He urged the private entrepreneurs to rise above petty sub-sectoral interest conflict. Ram Kaji Koney, president Nepal Association of Travel and Tour Agents (NATTA) and Bikram Pandey, president of Adventure Sports Tourism Society, also shared their views on prospect of tourism and need for diversification of products and services.

Website of Send home a Friend launched

Website of Send home a Friend launched

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Mr. Prithvi Subba Gurung formally launched the website and logo of "Send Home a Friend and Nepal for all Seasons " campaign: www.sendhomeafriend.com on December 31, 2007 at Nepal Tourism Board in a function organised to celebrate the 9th anniversary of Nepal Tourism Board.

The campaign is being launched to cater the growing Nepali Diaspora scattered all over the world encouraging them to send a friend to Nepal to promote Nepal's tourism. Addressing the function, Minister expressed his hope that it would be fruitful for Nepal's tourism. Although the campaign was announced in this fiscal year's budget, it began from London on November 17. NTB plans to promote the campaigns along with NRNs in Germany, US and Japan soon.


Minister for Culture, Tourism and Aviation Mr. Prithvi Subba Gurung handing over the Best Employee of the Year to Mr. Samir Bajracharya, Senior Officer of NTB on the occasion of NTB's 9th Anniversary on December 31, 2007.



In his remarks, Secretary of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Chairman of Mr. Leela Mani Poudel stressed the need of cooperation between Nepal Tourism Board and private sector to produce better result. He also urged NTB staff to use their optimum capability for the benefit of larger section of tourism industry.Vice Chairman of Nepal Tourism Board Mr. Rajesh Babu Shrestha also outlined the need of cooperation from private sector to bolster the image of Nepal Tourism Board.

In his speech Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board Mr. Prachanda Man Shrestha said, "Now, what we need is effective work plan, dedication and mutual cooperation within and outside the organization. Product diversification, new concept and strategies for marketing and promotion, proper human and other resource management are key issues for all which need to be addressed and properly aligned to the needs of our tourism industry."

On the occasion Minister Gurung awarded Mr. Samir Bajracharya, Senior Officer of Nepal Tourism Board as Best Employee of the Year. He also released the In Focus published on the occasion of 9th Anniversary of NTB.

Visitors Arrival in 2007 shows 27.1% growth

Visitors Arrival in 2007 shows 27.1% growth

The visitors to Nepal by air has been recorded 27.1% growth over 2006 with the arrival figure reaching 360,350 all time high since 2000 against 283,516 in 2006. In 2000, the number of visitors arriving Nepal by air was 376914. Since then, it has continued to plummet due to various socio -political reasons. One of the main reasons for inspiring growth in 2007 in tourist arrivals is the ongoing peace process and political stability in the county.

Another reason is the good air connectivity with many destinations ushered in by the operation of 9 new international airlines to Nepal in 2007. 2008 seems to be very promising year for Nepalese travel trade as more new airlines are coming and existing airlines are also extending their flight frequency to Nepal

December 2007 registered a growth of 13 % in the international visitor's arrival to Nepal by air route. The total visitor arrivals reached 29895, up by 3433 compared to the same month last year, according to the data released by Immigration Office Tribhuvan International Airport. A growth of 25 % has been recorded in the visitor arrivals from Europe, US and other non-Indian Asian tourist generating countries while Indian arrivals has been fallen down by 8.5% during this month.

The key contributors to the arrivals from Asian market were China and Singapore which showed an exceptional growth during this month with gains of 114.6 %, 92 % respectively. The East Asian markets Japan (-12.3%), S. Korea (-9.4%) Malaysia (-22.9 %), however showed some decline.

The European markets have too recorded an encouraging growth (19.8%) during the month with arrival numbers increasing from almost all the markets excepting a few. Growth was observed from Switzerland ( 97.8%). UK (21%), France (33.4%), Belgium (56.1%) ,Denmark (34.5%) Spain (41.9%) and Germany (19.6%),. The Dutch arrivals have too increased by 26.7%. The only markets to come down were Austria (-22.2 %), Israel (-8.1%) and Italy (-4.2%).

The Americans market has too registered a growth of 33.7% while Australian arrivals have gone up extremely well up by 41.4%.

The total non-Indian visitors, which contributed 70.1%, share in overall December arrivals registering a 25 % growth indicates the growing consumer confidence and interest towards Nepal from the long haul markets.

What might be different in 2008?

What might be different in 2008?

A Common question arise in all Nepali mind, Will 2008 be any Different?? What might be the benefit on 2008 for Nepal and Nepali?

Post your Comment?? What you anticipate in 2008? What might need to Happen on 2008? What should he deducts on 2008? this Common question Valuable readers can share with Nepal Information admin.

Everest flight by air - Joyful flying in Nepal

Everest flight by air - Joyful flying in Nepal

As Nepal’s tourism bounces back, the sector that has benefited the most is domestic aviation.

There aren’t enough planes, or enough hours in the day, to take tourists on an aerial sight-seeing trip to Chomolungma. On 31 August this year, airlines set a record with 31 mountain flights by Buddha Air and 12 by Yeti Airlines. Right through the autumn season, the two airlines reaped a windfall of tourism traffic.

This is one of the few flights in the world that takes off and lands from the same airport and at $140 per passenger, the margins are high (Nepalis and Indians pay Rs 7,000).


But as winter sets in, tourist volumes drop and poor visibility at Kathmandu airport due to fog restricts the number of flights. One recent morning, the fog closed the airport after five mountain flights had already taken off. The planes were diverted to Simara, Pokhara and one to Bhairawa.

Early morning at Kathmandu airport looks like the deck of an aircraft carrier with a dozen twin turboprop planes lining up to take off. Captain Ang Ghelu Sherpa lines up his Beechcraft on the runway and guns the throttle. Soon we are taking a wide climbing turn over Kathmandu Valley. Ganesh, Langtang and Dorje Lakpa immediately swing into view.

In other airlines, flight attendants are usually busy with safety drills or handing out food and drinks, but on this flight, stewardess T W Lama looks more like a school teacher as she points out various mountains to passengers.

However many times one has been on a mountain flight, every trip is different. Since this was early morning, there wasn’t much turbulence over the mountains so Captain Sherpa was flying right past Numbur and as we banked, there was Lukla right below us with its inclined runway.

Through the tilted cockpit window, Chomolungma moved from left to right. We were so close, you could see the wavey yellow limestone band on the south face of Lhotse. On the return leg, the passengers on the righthand side got their chance. They see right into the arid pastel mountains of Tibet and magnificient border peaks like Melungtse and Sishapangma. Abreast of Gauri Shankhar, we begin our descent, but Captain Sherpa informs us that Kathmandu airport is closed due to poor visibility.

Usually, such an announcement from the cockpit would be met by a collective groan from passengers. But inside this plane, there was jubilation. As we circled over Kathmandu waiting for the fog to clear, passengers got an extra hour of mountain flight for free.

Below, the fog draped Kathmandu like a quilt. The Himalaya stretched on to the west towards Himalchuli, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. After finally getting his clearance, Captain Sherpa swooped down through the murky mist for a landing.

Was what we’d been through just a dream? Couldn’t be, there are photographs to prove we actually saw what we did.