In the wake of celebrating the year 2011 as the Tourism Year, Nepal’s tourism sector shares approximately 17 percent of the GDP. In 2010, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) made a ranking of its 181 member countries in terms of some tourism indicators. Nepal’s tourism industry ranks 123 in terms of its size, 115 in terms of its relative share in GDP, and 109 in terms of its projected growth rate for the coming 10 years. The average annual growth rate of Nepali tourism industry is slightly slower (4.4 percent) as compared to that of the global annual growth rate (4.6 percent) during 1975-2000. Review of the scope of Nepali tourism industry in light of its global perspective is very much important in connection with the celebration of the tourism year 2011.
TOURISM IN INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES
Reviewing the development of tourism industry in industrialized countries, three major pillars are apparent: Exploration, achievement, and innovation. Regular exploration of new tourism potential destinations, promotion of their uniqueness, and improvement to the services to tourists and technology in tourism are deemed essential in this connection. In Japan, once Buddhism and Christianism multiplied so rapidly – more specifically since the second half of twentieth century, Shinto shrines are becoming major tourist destinations. The government is playing catalytic role in this regard. Shinto shrines in the suburb areas of Kyoto are good examples of this development coupled by the increasing number of tourists visiting these shrines in successive years. Moreover, Japanese government has also followed One Village One Product policy to attract both domestic and foreign tourists; however, these products have to be associated with endogenous technology and culture to enjoy the privileges provided by the government. This policy helped Shirakawa make it to the Unesco World Heritage Site list.
In order to promote domestic tourism, Japanese companies and major political parties made some agreements after 1970. Sky resorts and summer tourist destinations got their massive expansion in Japan due to the demand of foreign tourists. In 1970, prime-minister Tanaka undertook major initiatives in promoting investments in tourism industry; consequently, 1987 witnessed the approval of ‘Resort Law’ from the Japanese parliament. This encouraged many construction firms to merge into tourism industry; moreover, public-private partnership programs were also introduced. The public-private-partnership schemes brought almost 20 percent of the Japanese land under tourism industry called as the ‘third sector economy’. Both national and prefectural governments contributed tax free services for the expansion of tourism infrastructure. These policies were instrumental in making Japan able to organize 1998 winter Olympic game in Nagano.
Currently, South Asian, Central Asian and some Eastern European countries are forging a tourist network in the region. Least developed countries such as Nepal should be able to take advantage of this growing regional tourism.
Japanese experience does not support the conventional notion that natural attractions and geographical specificities are must for tourism development; rather it explores the need of humanitarian and submissive approaches in this industry. For example, Japanese view the beauty of their motherland in a different way. People view Sakura -- a unique flower available only in Japan -- blooming in Japan as if a festival. It starts blooming in Kyushu in March and in Hokkaido in May. This blooming season starting in March on the south and ending in May on the north has made the Japanese enjoy it as a festival although the taste and feelings are similar every year with the same color and environment. Prefectural governments in Kansai and Kanazawa organize different programs on “Cherry Blossom” and internal tourism also boom in this season.
New Zealand, and Alaska State of the US have developed tourism industry as the backbone of their economy; both have followed cultural tourism. The ethnic minorities (Maori in New Zealand and native Alaskans in Alaska State) are at the center of their cultural tourism. Establishment of several archeological museums with collections of their life styles from jungle life up to now, exhibitions, and the parks are the reflections of this policy. The museums and exhibitions are much interesting that present the sequential flows how they endeavored to regain the state they lost. Not only these warfare strategies, the governments have exposed the cultural, intellectual and spiritual aspects of these minority people who kept themselves at a distance from Western capitalist culture.
One problem always persists in developing cultural tourism keeping the ethnic minorities at the center because indirectly it accepts social Darwinism as a natural process where suppression of the weak by the stronger is considered as a natural phenomenon. In other words, preserving the ancient culture of ethnic minorities means making the suppression of them by the state an interesting story. This problem has mainly erupted while trying to write the history of the suppressed minorities by the colonial forces themselves. Because of the strong opposition of the minorities, Eraser Technique has been followed in removing the aspects of cultural tourism that presents the weaker exposure of these endogenous people.
Currently, a new approach is inherent in the tourism policy of many countries that have promoted cultural tourism. This is to use the royalties received from the cultural heritage sites to the welfare of the minority people themselves to prevent the likelihood of social distrust in the long run.
RECENT ISSUES IN TOURISM
From 2004, World Trade Organization (WTO) has started emphasizing tourism industry in connection with service trade; thereafter, some tangible efforts have surfaced in global arena. In this front, WTO has recommended for the improvement of information flows among the stakeholders in tourism.
Protected Industrial Tourism (PIT) has emerged as one of the new ventures in many countries once holy forests and wildlife conservation got high priority in eco-tourism. However, PIT is yet to get recognized in eco-tourism. In Nepal, in the current stage of the slow commercialization of agriculture on the one hand but a gradual deterioration of the environment on the other has raised the scope for green tourism. This scheme can connect rural agriculture, forest and fishery to form rural green tourism provided that rural endogenous crafts are traded along with these formal sector activities. They can form the basis of rural tourism; example includes that of Trout farming promoted by Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) in highway routes of Nuwakot and Sindhupalchok districts along with numerous restaurants operational beside them.
Multi-lingual and multi-ethnic Nepali society has great scope for cultural tourism. Nepal has more than hundred lingual and ethnic groups; therefore, the protection of their languages and ethnic cultures can help this country develop numerous national heritage sites conducive to the development of cultural tourism as one of the major sectors of the economy.
If Nepal envisages developing its tourism industry in traditional approach, it requires adequate efforts. For example, except Indian tourists, majority enter Nepal through air route. Nepal’s difficult topography has further elevated the need of reliable and efficient air services. However, the annual air accidents in Nepal, including both major and minor, have averaged six for the last few years. Although the number of Nepali airlines has multiplied during the last two decades, the reliability of air service in domestic front and both quality and quantity of it in the international front have deteriorated for the last several years. Talking about South Asia, Sri Lanka has made remarkable progress in both quantity and quality of air service with its development as a transit point of fastest growing South Asian economy of India and South East Asian economy of Malaysia. Currently, numerous tourist hubs have developed in the suburbs of Colombo.
In addition to Sri Lanka, another South Asian nation, Maldives has also done quite well on tourism. In 2010, it own several international tourism awards. According to a survey conducted among many travel agencies of the world, the Cocoa Island has won the best boutique hotel award. Likewise, Baros has won the best hotel award, Conrad Maldives Rangali the best resort award, just to name a few. These developments signify the pathway of Maldives’s tourism industry through the hotel sector.
Currently, South Asian, Central Asian and some Eastern European countries are forging a tourist network in the region. In this encouraging initiative, various travel agencies of China, Nepal, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia have been integrated. Soon, it is expected that Russian Federation and Ukraine are also entering the network. Least developed countries that have their weak infrastructural base such as Nepal should be able to take advantage of this growing regional tourism. More specifically, to grasp this new opportunity, Nepal must develop its traditional tourist destinations, explore new tourist hubs, and endeavor for comfortable tours toward such destinations.
sanjaya@newera.wlink.com.np
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