The Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is, frankly, a national disgrace. It is also a misnomer. It lacks even bare minimum facilities to qualify as an ‘international airport.’ First-time visitors expecting the mythical Shangri-La have a rude awakening when the smell of overflowing toilets greets them at their first point of contact with the country. [break]
In this land of apparently the most welcoming people on the planet, visitors are left with bitter taste in their mouth as only moments after landing they are forced to deal with uncouth immigration staff. The roof at the baggage handling area leaks. But as unappealing as these facts are, they do not pose safety risk to tourists. Potholed runways do. The sole TIA runway has been developing cracks with troubling frequency in the last few weeks. The country must really be blessed for the tourists to continue to flock in, ignoring their basic safety.
It is inconceivable that the runway constructed at millions of rupees could give way if it had been properly built. The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is looking into likely irregularities. It has been for some time. Nothing has come out of it. Nothing substantial ever will. The perennial blame game has started. Aviation experts blame contractors for shoddy construction. The contractors point to Kathmandu’s erratic weather pattern which apparently makes it hard to construct durable runways. Both chide the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the government aviation regulator, for failing on the runway’s upkeep. Ultimately, the whole issue will be brushed under the carpet until another crisis kicks up some dust. Meanwhile, there are plans to construct new international airports. But how will they be managed as the country struggles to look after its sole international gateway? Overcrowding is the least of TIA’s problems. The bigger problem is lack of accountability, again manifested in pervasive buck passing one gets to witness during times of crisis.
Nepal is on thin ice. The international tourist market is ultra-competitive, with each country looking to expand tourist base through all kinds of facilities and promotional activities. While Nepal has not been short on these, it seems to have missed the forest for the trees. If the first point of contact for incoming tourists is in an abysmal state, little else can make up for it.
If Nepal hopes to remain a competitive tourist destination, it will have to get its basics right. Ghassan Aidi, the then President of the International Hotels & Restaurants Association, didn’t his mince words when he said during his 2011 visit that Nepali authorities needed to change their mentality if Nepal wants to become a tourist destination. He pointed out tourist-unfriendly TIA as the number one hurdle towards that goal. Aidi was bang on. People tend to remember the beginning and end of their journey than what they do in between. Why spoil the party for the millions of tourists who have otherwise had a wonderful time in Nepal and give the country’s legendary hospitality a bad name, all because of a very manageable oversight?
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