Long way to go

A new tourist season has started in Nepal. The government and various other promoters of tourism are gung-ho about the prospects of hosting a larger number of tourists than in any previous years. Every now and then, celebrations and events are organized all over the world—from London to New York to Shanghai—to attract more tourists. Newer approaches are also being employed to attract more tourists. For example, people involved with LGBT rights have been advertising Nepal as a place where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are more, if not equally, welcomed.

Two years ago, on the occasion of Nepal Tourism Year 2011, the Blue Diamond Society organized functions where LGBT tourists—with no marriage rights in their own countries—got married and received a certificate from the organization. LGBT tourists recognized this well-meaning gesture and have felt accepted as guests in Nepal. No stone has been left unturned to make Nepal an enticing tourist destination. While it’s always nice to see the government and private enterprises striving to bring in more tourists, there are fundamental problems that need to be fixed in order to gain significant achievements.

HOTELNEPAL.COM

First things first, the tourism industry in Nepal pays too much attention to international tourists. The tourism industry has to realize that the living standards of a large section of Nepali populace have increased in the last few years. Each year, thousands of Nepali tourists visit other countries like Thailand and Malaysia. If Nepali tourism industry can increase the interest of a fraction of these tourists towards domestic tourism locations, the industry stands to make billions of rupees. However, domestic tourists are not in the priority list of our tourism entrepreneurs.

Domestic tourists visiting areas around Pokhara and the Annapurna circuit are not given rooms even when rooms are available. I have friends who had to pitch tents in the hills in 2010 because they could not get hotel rooms in a trekking route in Kaski. The problem seems to arise from the fact that our government has set different rates for Nepalis and foreigners. Food and lodging rates are considerably less for Nepalis than for foreigners. One of my friends who visited Namche in 2009 observed that regardless of who ordered first, domestic tourists were made to wait longer for their food than foreigners.

Such incidents reflect a discriminatory trend. Maybe the low rate that we pay hotels in Ghandruk is barely enough to cover their maintenance cost. Maybe the low rate that we pay in the restaurant in Namche is barely enough to cover the cost of food. If that is the case, hotels and lodges should file a complaint to the government to amend the rates. Discriminating between domestic and foreign tourists—instead of filing complaints—is not the right approach.

Also, the government and the tourism board should pay heed to such issues. Each year, inflation and other factors cause food and maintenance costs to rise. Policies and rates should be amended to reflect those changes. Hotels, lodges and restaurants should not have to suffer due to the negligence and inefficiency of policymakers. However, if the discrimination between domestic and foreign tourists is not borne out of economic needs, but of inherent prejudice based on skin color or nationality, then actions should be taken to punish the guilty. If perpetrators of discrimination are not punished, lessons won’t be learnt and domestic tourists will continue to suffer.

Our tourism industry also suffers from problems regarding hygiene and infrastructure. Because of increased advertisements and promotional efforts, more foreign tourists are on their way to Nepal. Add to those numbers the domestic tourists, and a number of questions arise. Are there enough rooms in hotels and lodges in our tourist areas to accommodate these extra travelers? Are hotels and lodges clean and hygienic enough to avoid outbreaks of diseases? Amenities and services should be enough to meet the demands in our tourist destinations.

Nepali tourism industry needs to attract domestic tourists who visit other countries like Thailand and Malaysia every year.

Some of the most beautiful destinations in out hills and mountains are accessible only to trekkers. Have we tried hard enough to make these areas accessible to casual tourists as well? We like to call ourselves the Switzerland of Asia. However, unlike Switzerland, we have been unable to take thousands of tourists skiing on our alpine slopes. Nepali tourism cannot progress if it caters only to niche markets like trekking. We need to attract more casual holiday tourists who bring along their families and big spending abilities. Trekkers and backpackers do not spend the kind of money that Nepali tourism industry would like to earn. We keep hearing about making tourism sector our priority for economic growth. But investments in tourism infrastructure development have, so far, lagged far behind.

Poor road and highway infrastructure has meant that most people who travel within Nepal choose air travel. However, many destinations in hills and mountains do not have airports. This has meant that despite being attractive, these destinations have failed to achieve substantial growth in tourist numbers. Also, inadequate air travel infrastructure has meant that we are incapable of handling travelers off-season, let alone during peak tourist season.

Last year, flight delays hurt the travel plans of thousands in the pre- and post-monsoon tourist seasons. So, roads need to be constructed and upgraded in Nepal’s tourist destinations with more urgency, because in our weather conditions, road travel is more reliable than flights. It is high time those associated with Nepali tourism stepped up their game.

The author is an economist

mukhanal@gmail.com