In a major update for Nepali lovers, two important international photo exhibitions focused on Nepal are currently underway.

While one is called ‘Nepal through Australian volunteers’ lens’ organized to celebrate the International Volunteer Day 2017, the other is ‘International Photography Competition on Nepal’ that focuses on promoting Nepal tourism.

Nepal Through Australian Volunteers’ Lens

This photo exhibition, being held in Kathmandu at Lalitpur-based Nexus Culture, is showcasing the experiences of Australian volunteers deployed in Nepal under the Australian Government’s Australian Volunteers Program (AVP).

In his inaugural address, the Australian Ambassador to Nepal Peter Budd informed that the Government of Australia has mobilized 229 Australian volunteers to support Nepal in achieving its development goals.

The exhibition is being held during December 18-25, 2017.

AVP is a Nepal-Australia joint initiative under which AVP has deployed volunteers in Nepal supporting the latter’s developmental objectives.

International Photography Competition on Nepal

This is a first-of-its-kind photo exhibition event focused on promotion of Nepali tourism.

This six-day photography event, currently underway in China, is expecting a minimum of 600,000 tourists from across the world, and is being held to mark the first anniversary of the establishment of sisterly relations between Kathmandu Metropolis and Chengdu city.

The event has on display photos that promote tourism, tradition, art and culture of Nepal.

Inaugurating this international photo competition, the Nepali Ambassador to China Leelamani Paudyal said the photo exhibition would serve as a milestone for tourism promotion.

Nepal Tourism Board’s media expert Sharad Pradhan feels that the event would help Nepal in attracting more number of tourists.

The event is currently underway at the Chinese tourism hub called Wide Narrow Ale.

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As part of the move, NATTA is conducting a week-long Nepal Sales Mission to Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Bangalore (India) from December 14-21, 2017.

“Like past years, we are organizing tourism promotional events in the international market this year as well. As India and Sri Lanka are the first and fourth largest tourist generating market for Nepal, respectively, we are hopeful that visitors from these countries will increase further after this event,” says Ram Barakoti, Program Coordinator of Nepal Sales Mission.

As part of the tour, Nepali tourism entrepreneurs will be engaged in day-long B2B sessions at both the cities, informed Barakoti.

Stating that Sri Lankan tourists to Nepal come for Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, Barakoti raised concern that they are opting India for Buddhism pilgrimage. “We will encourage them to start the pilgrimage from Kathmandu,” he added.

In this program, tourism service providers and tour operators will also promote Nepal’s tourism attractions among Sri Lankan tour operators.

“As NAC is operating direct flights to Bangalore, we are hopeful that the number of tourists coming from Bangalore will increase as participating delegates will promote Nepal’s tourism attractions among local tour operators,” Barakoti noted.

NATTA is keen on promoting Nepal among Sri Lankan and Indian tourists as a key destination for historical, religious and natural attractions, added Barakoti.

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The analysts’ projection was based on the arrival trends during the first 10 months of 2017 (January-October 2017), wherein, a total number of 757,448 arrivals was recorded resulting in an over rise of 25.47 percent.

According to the Department of Immigration Nepal, an additional 153,792 foreign visitors (including overland arrivals) were observed during the period, compared to year-on-year, with a significant rise in tourists from India, United States, China and Europe.

October, the peak tourist season, witnessed the all-time high of 112,492 tourists this year and the travel trade entrepreneurs expect November 2017 to record more than 130,000 tourists breaking all the past records.

On Path to Record Arrivals

Country-wise tourist arrivals to Nepal in Jan-Oct 2017

The latest figures come as a major boost to the Nepali tourism sector that has been on the path of recovery, after facing a major hit by the devastating 2015 earthquake and a trade embargo by India.

As a result, Nepal tourism had gone to a six-year low registering only 538,970 foreign visitors that year.

However, the latest figures come as a great encouragement to the country’s tourism industry.

 “The growth puts Nepal on a path to record arrivals. This is an achievement that should make us all proud, irrespective of the 2015 earthquake, subsequent trade embargo and crumbling infrastructure at the country’s sole international airport,” says Senior Nepali Hotel Entrepreneur Yogendra Sakya.

Promotion at Peaks, Social Media a Key Role

Nepal Tourism Board and private sector firms have been putting in efforts to promote Nepal as a top tourism destination, globally.

This was evident in a recent World Travel Market 2017, a UK travel trade fair, that saw Nepal as a special attraction to the global business community.

Even though Nepal Tourism Board and the private sector have invested a lot on tourism promotion, it’s the social media that played a key role, opines Sakya.

“Social media has emerged as a key tool. People obtain a true story and true picture on social media connecting Nepal across the globe,” read a statement by Sakya.

Various foreign publications and media have also been featuring Nepal as the 2017 top tourist destination, globally.

Lonely Planet named Nepal the world’s Best Value Destination for 2017, and the National Geographic also listed Nepal among the top 10 places that deserve more travelers.

Growth Beyond Expectations

The latest figures project the growth of Nepal tourism far beyond expectations.

According to the Nepal Rastra Bank, the country earned a record revenue of Rs 58.52 billion in foreign exchange from the Nepal tourism industry in the 2016-2017 fiscal that ended in July 2017.

Meanwhile, the Nepali tourism industry is also witnessing a rapid development with a record boom in hotel construction activity across the country.

According to Hotel Association Nepal, a dozen hotels are investing more than Rs 40 billion in the industry and the average occupancy rate of hotels is also expected to cross 80 percent in 2017, above 70 percent in 2016.

Given the current growth trend in hotel construction activity, the Nepal tourism industry is expecting around 4,000 star-category rooms by 2020.

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