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Nepal Tourism Year 2011 and Destination Chitwan: Some

Issues
Kapil Dev Subedi
Head DOM
Saptagandaki Multiple Campus
Chitwan, Nepal
Introduction

The government of Nepal has announced the year 2011 as Nepal tourism
year and targeted to reach the number of tourists visiting Nepal to be
doubled i.e. one million in the year 2011. The recent statistics of visit to
Nepal shows that the numbers of tourists are not exceeding more than
half million, as the number were 526,705 in 2007 and 500,277 in 2008.
Despite strong potential, tourism growth declined in last decade in Nepal,
significantly mainly because of conflict and insecurity. However the
current statistics shows that the industry has started rebounding in the
country, but we need to investigate why this sector is under performing
and how Nepal can increase market share in an increasingly competitive
world tourism market.

‘Nepal Tourism Year 2011’ is a grand fete throughout the year which is going
to celebrate in Nepal in 2011. The concept of Nepal Tourism Year 2011 was
emerged to manage and develop the tourism industry of Nepal by cashing
the expertise view, experiences and commitment of government with public
private venture. For that Nepal tourism board is continuing in the
promotional activity with public private venture internally and externally. The
campaign will continue to promote Nepal in international arena through its
line agencies such as Nepalese diplomatic missions abroad, I/NGOs, airlines,
and national and international media, NRN community and Nepal’s friends
and well-wishers.

After well known historical revolution, Nepal is targeting to progress in


country economy within this decade. The major concern of Nepal is to
improve people living standard as soon as possible. For that Nepal can cash
tourism industry to grow economy and eliminate poverty. That’s why
government has realized the potential of tourism industry in the
development of nation. Knowing all these facts, Government has announced
Nepal Tourism Year 2011. Tourism contributes to economic growth and
poverty alleviation, significantly. Nepal has a strong comparative advantage
in tourism. However, the performance of the industry has remained,
unsatisfactory. Measured in terms of tourist arrivals, Nepal’s share in world
tourism industry is only about 0.04%. Given the fragmentation and diversity
nature of the tourism industry, the Nepalese industry has been highly
vulnerable to the actions of powerful external political and economic forces
than any other industry making the tourism industry dependent on its
components. The challenge is to translate the attractiveness of Nepal as a
tourist destination into increased tourist arrivals and raise the satisfaction of
the visitors visiting the country.

Tourism Potential and Attractions

Himalayan landscape and natural beauty highly suitable for trekking and
mountaineering and important religious and cultural sites including the
birthplace of Buddha provide Nepal, natural advantages. Some of the major
tourism products, which have made Nepal famous includes: The Himalayan
landscape including the highest peak Mount Everest, Natural beauty and
Hills and Mountains for adventure based activities like mountaineering,
trekking, rafting, jungle safari, mountain flight etc.,Religious and spiritual
sites like the famous Birth Place of Buddha –Lumbini and Pashupati Temple,
a major Hindu shrine., and rich culture, costumes, traditions and festivals

Despite these advantages, tourism contribution to GDP is 2.3% and it


accounted for about 7% of total foreign exchange earnings in FY 2009.
Nepal’s per capita tourist earnings is the lowest in South Asia .The average
income per visitor per day was US $ 45 in FY 2007 and $ 73 in FY 2008. The
following data depicts the gross foreign exchange earnings from tourism
industry.

TABLE 1: GROSS FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNINGS IN


CONVERTIBLE CURRENCIES, 2004-2008
Year Total Earnings %Change Average Average
in US$ Income Income
per Capita in Per Visitor
US $ ('000) Rs.('000) US$ Per
day in US$

2004 179,941 13,146,534 -6.7 609.8 45.1


2005 148,441 10,600,345 -17.5 532.0 58.5
2006 162,790 11,784,644 9.7 561.0 55.0
2007 230,617 15,185,071 41.7 535.0 45.0
2008 351,968 24,802,195 52.7 860.3 73.0

Source-Foreign Exchange Management Department, Nepal Rastra Bank.

There is an enormous opportunity to improve the tourism industry in a


higher growth path by improving infrastructures, addressing environmental
degradation, enhancing tourism promotion and marketing and developing
tourism products.

However, even with Nepal’s strong natural comparative advantage in


tourism, creating a competitive edge is not easy because of increasing
worldwide competition. Development and promotion of new products,
decreasing flight times and prices and globalisation have exerted pressure to
enhance quality and visibility of tourism products, improvement of tourism
services and marketing and infrastructure development to compete with
other countries in attracting more tourists in the country. Nepal’s main
selling points according to a study are mountains (40%), beautiful nature
(40%), friendly people (39%), cultural diversity (37%), and adventure tourism
(2%).

The most important attraction for tourist, in order of importance, according


to survey carried out in 2001 are the following: Kathmandu, Lalitpur and
Bhaktapur; Pokhara; Nagarkot; Annapurna; Chitwan; Everest; Dhulikhel;
Lukla; Langtang and Lumbini.

Destination Chitwan

The conventional view of destination holds that destination is well-defined


geographical areas, such as a country, an island or a village. In simple word,
a destination is defined as the focus of facilities and services designed to
meet the needs of the tourists. Looking from the competitive angle, a
destination has two major components: image and experiences, constructed
through tourism marketing and encountered in a destination. According to
Gilbert and Terrata the destination’s image may be based upon “ideas and
impressions that a prospective traveler holds about a destination and
therefore may influence tourist motivation as a pull factors”. The images
held by tourists are prime motivators to travel. Therefore, destination’s
image is the most important criterion for selecting to visit. A newer,
conception sees the destination “as an amalgam of individual products and
experience opportunities that combine to form a total experience of the area
visited”

In this context, Chitwan has its own unique image in the world tourism
market as a destination of nature and adventure along with exceptional
culture. Before 1950s Chitwan, then known itself as death valley, was
covered by very dense forests containing more than 1000 square miles of
virgin forests, swamps and grasslands, which was inhabited by various wild
animals such as wild elephant, rhinoceros, swamp deer, water buffalo and
birds. This area was then a famous area for game hunting. Previously,
Chitwan suffered from Malaria, which was eradicated in 1954. After the
eradication of Malaria, the area had attracted the hilly people vigorously.
People started residing in the richer and fertile duns, valleys and plains. Then
the development process started in Chitwan from the level of people,
community and government. In 1957, the Chitwan forest was declared as
Rhino Sanctuary and in 1962; Safari Tourism was introduced in Chitwan
National Park for the first time. Similarly, in 1973: Royal Chitwan National
Park was established as the first national park of Nepal. All these efforts
oriented Chitwan as a tourist destination of Nepal. Now Chitwan has been
developed itself as the third destination of Nepalese tourism due to its
unique natural beauty, exclusive biodiversity, co-existence of differing
languages, cultures, caste and ethnicity. The two indigenous ethnic groups,
Tharus in southern plain land and Chepangs in northern hilly area (at
Mahabharat Hill range) are the bonafide inhabitants of Chitwan
,unrelentingly residing in their land since last thousands of year without any
movement and Chitwan has initiated to adjoining these two differing culture
and caste into the mainstream besides the wildlife tourism.

Cultural diversity is another significant feature of Chitwan. Many temples of


Hindus and Gompas of Budhist are located in Chitwan. Devghat Dham, Sita
Gunpha, Panchpandav, Bikram Baba Temple, Balmiki Ashram, Brahma
Chauri and Laxmi Narayan Temple, Godak Nath Temple and several holy
ponds have religious and historical significance.

Status of Tourism in Chitwan

The history of tourism industry in Chitwan traces back to the establishment


of Royal Chitwan National Park in 1973 A.D. The figure of tourists arriving
Chitwan in 1975 A.D was only 836, meanwhile this statistics reached to
86443 tourists in 2007 A.D, a hundred times increase after the period of 3
decades. The important aspects of this arrival is that out of total tourist
visiting Chitwan, 35210 i.e, 66.97% were the visitors from the third country
and 3449 tourist were from the SAARC nations.

Table-2 Tourist arrivals in Nepal and Chitwan National Park (2001-


2007)
Total no. of Share of arrival
Year tourists in CNP Percentage
2001 361237 82547 22.85
2002 275468 46705 16.95
2003 338132 56303 16.65
2004 385297 43061 11.18
2005 375398 52572 14.00
2006 383926 60125 15.66
2007 526705 86443 16.41

Source: DNPWC, Annual Reports And MoCTCA, Nepal Tourism


Statistics(2001-2007)

The study of visitor’s purpose indicates that the majority of tourists arriving
from the third countries come to chitwan for visiting nature and wildlife in
national park. If Chitwan only concentrates its tourism in nature and wildlife,
it cannot achieve the further benefits of culture and adventure tourism.
Therefore the diversification of tourism in culture, eco-tourism, education,
medical and other areas is the matter of immense importance for the
development and growth of tourism in Chitwan. It has been so late to
formulate and implement the Unified tourism development action plan in
Chitwan therefore effort should be taken as soon as possible from the private
and government level.
Attempts have been made to buildup the infrastructure of tourism industry in
Chitwan both from government and private level. The district has developed
the destnation network of Ring Road and Chitwan Chepang Hill Trail in the
northern Mahabharat mountain range linking hilly area (habitat of indigenous
Chepangs) to the low land of Terai (habitat of indigenous Tharus) national
park. A number of hotels, resorts, and lodges have also been managed
outside and inside the national park. There were 62 hotels and lodges in
national park and buffer zone area having 758 rooms and 1559 beds in 2007
A.D. A study indicates that 1832 personnel (skilled and unskilled), 137
elephants, 104 motor vehicles, 71 carts, 10 boats, 2 camels and some horse
carts are in operation for the delivery of better services to tourist.

Targeting the upcoming Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY 2011) national
campaign, over a half-dozen tourist standard hotels are launching in
Sauraha. Satanchuli Wildlife View Resort and Alka Resort Camp have started
operation while Jungle World Resort, Monalisa Jungle Resort, Nature Heritage
Resort and Jungle Safari Lodge are under construction. With the coming of
new hotels, the old ones have started upgrading their capacity and
standards to meet the required standards and facilities of tourists. An
attempt has been made to deliver the services to the tourists through the
hotels under construction within two years.

Almost all the new hotels have been designed like indigenous Tharu
community houses. With the mounting competition, about 30 percent of the
hotels have added new rooms. There are 67 hotels in Sauraha and about 7
new hotels are coming with a huge investment including the five star one
-the hotel Radisson. This year, hotels have increased their accommodation
capacity to 1,700 beds from 1,400 previously. And the target number of beds
is two thousands for the year 2011.

Chitwan has unparalleled natural beauty, couple with extremely varied and
diverse attractions. However the tourism industry in Chitwan has been facing
a number of challenges which needs to be addressed as soon as possible for
the success of tourism year 2011. The major issues are:

• Political instability, strikes, bandh and disturbances


• Limited infrastructure including shortages of hotel beds in the peak
seasons, limited road accessibility and lower quality roads
• Inadequate promotion and development of natural, cultural and religious
attractions
• Poor service quality including in the first point of contact on arrival—that is
—customs, immigration and airport halls to the destination and even in the
hotels.
• Inadequate marketing and research

All these challenges have to be addressed and potential tourist products


should be developed for the success of NTY 2011. Some of the activities that
need to be immensely started are;
1. If as per government assumption, the number of tourist arriving Nepal
get doubled in 2011, the prevailing hotel facilities are inadequate to
serve the demand of tourists, therefore it needs to make provision of
‘home stay’. For which proper physical arrangements should be made
and hospitality training should be given to the host.
2. To make access the information of NTY 2011, a huge media campaign
should be initiated promptly in the international arena. Chitwan should
develop the e-portals which would be the information cum reservation
oriented commercial travel website facilitating the online travel.
3. The status of local infrastructures i.e. road access to Sauraha,
electricity, water, vehicles facilities and many more others are in such
vulnerable position that they should be kept in track as far as possible.
4. As the major political parties has committed for “No Strike on NTY
2011” in national level, the same should be committed in the local
level also.
5. Develop close coordination between all hotels, resorts, restaurants,
shops, all organizations and institutions working in tourism.
6. Produce standard and special brochures about Sauraha and Chitwan as
unique destination and create a special image and special brand
distinguishing it from other destinations of Nepal.
7. Identify the major tourism products of Chitwan i.e. one horne
rhinoserces, sun rise from Sirainchuli, sunset in Rapti River, Tharu
culture, special culture and occasions, Narayani boating, Chitwan
Chepang Hill trails,etc and start to develop and promote it.
8. Strengthen quality of teaching at all hospitality and tourism training
institutes and promote in service training
9. Develop service monitoring mechanism
10. Enforce developed standards in the services to be provided in
hotels and restaurants
11. Strengthen and expand tourism information centres
12. Develop and implement security services in the Sauraha area,
especially in the context of developing wilderness and adventure
tourism
13. Develop consumer (tourist) service strategy based on exit survey
of the tourists
14. Expand the volume and value of tourism by repackaging and
promoting presently available tourism products and strength
15. Reduce the seasonal nature of tourism, which is often founded
on incorrect assumptions about weather patterns, and improve the
seasonal and spatial distribution of visitors
16. Develop the theme for promotion (e.g. religion and pilgrimage,
nature and wildlife, wilderness and adventure, cultural heritage etc.)

Conclusion

Tourism is one of the industries having comparative advantage in Nepal. The


government and other development partners are persuaded that the country
can strengthen its economy with the promotion and protection of tourism
industry. Despite the downward trends of this sector in the period of conflict, the
ray of hope is seen after the initiation of peace restoration process in Nepal. NTY
2011 aims to promote Nepalese tourism industry and support for the
development and growth of Nepalese economy. Therefore, we all need to
support for success of NTY 2011.

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