In a latest move, Qatar Government approached Nepal Government pitching for the construction of mega international airport in Nijgadh as a move to strengthen Nepal’s position in Southeast Asia.

As the reports say, the Government of Qatar has put forth the proposal estimated worth USD 1.2 billion for airport construction. According to the Tourism Ministry officials, the two governments are holding talks about this airport project, which has been under discussions since more than two decades.

Although no proposals were signed yet, the two sides are expecting some productive output through the discussions underway.

“The issue has been discussed at the highest levels. We have dispatched necessary documents regarding the current status of the project to the Qatar government through its embassy here,” said an official from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

Another official from the Tourism Ministry said the discussion is in the preliminary stage with no financial modality yet.

“Since the discussion is in its preliminary phase, the financial modality is not clear yet. It could be a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) model or something else. If things go as planned, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli may visit Qatar in April-May to sign the agreement,” adds the official.

However, the official confirmed that the project could go under a government-government deal.

“But one thing is clear: the government may award the project through a government-to-government deal,” reads the official’s statement.

The Background- Different Turns and Finally Making Way!

The construction of Nijgadh International Airport has been in news for years and the first decision in this regard was taken in 1995 as one of the country’s prestigious projects.

However, the project has been postponed due to various reasons such as environmental clearances, delays in bidding, legal and financial issues, among others.

According to the officials, the government is not even interested to award this project to any of the foreign investors.

Malaysian Government had also made a proposal in January 2016 for taking up the project.

“We would like to propose developing the project under the Design, Finance, Build, Operate and Transfer (DFBOT) model. The Malaysian Government will form a consortium of financially strong, well experienced and capable companies to develop and manage the Nijgadh airport,” said the Malaysian Government in its statement to Nepal Tourism Ministry.

Even the Airport Authority of India (AAI) had also agreed to build the project, which also failed. Despite several attempts, the project implementation did not go ahead over the years.

Again, after the formation of Oli Government, the project came to limelight again with the Tourism Minister Rabindranath Adhikari calling for the development of the proposed airport as a major transit hub to and from Europe and the United States.

Now, the government is due to submit the Detailed Project Report by the end of the current fiscal year. Will have to see what turn the proposed airport project will take next!

The post Nepal’s Nijgadh International Airport: Qatar Enters the Discussion, What’s Next? appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Inching closer to the Visit Nepal 2020 landmark, Nepal Tourism Board registered a tourist arrival record of 1,173,072  arrivals between January-December 2018!

The Board projected a 17 percent increase compared to the same period in 2017.

24 Percent Growth Year-on-Year

Nepal Tourism witnessed a growth of 24 percent with 1,173,072 foreign tourists visiting Nepal in 2018 against 940,218 in the previous year!

Following are the statistics of tourists according to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB):

• Totally 969,287 tourists visited Nepal via air and 203,785 tourists came via land
• Nepal witnessed a significant rise in Chinese tourists as more than 50,000 Chinese visited the country
• Tourists from SAARC Countries increased by 26.3 percent with India alone registering more than  200,000 tourists
• The Himalayan nation also witnessed a 55 percent rise in Sri Lankan tourist visits as compared to last year
• Likewise, American, Australian, English and European tourists visiting Nepal have also increased

Tourism stakeholders are happy with this achievement of reaching the magical number which has been sought after, since two decades.

“This was possible only because all of us worked hard. The coordination between government agencies, tourism entrepreneurs and media has helped us take tourism to the next step,” said NTB CEO Deepak Raj Joshi.

NTB has started a campaign Visit Nepal 2020 to draw two million tourists by 2020. However, the goal is seeing a lot of hurdles, the Pokhara international airport is one among them.

The Tourism Board believes that it will be easy to bring in tourists if a new international airport would be ready by 2020.

India Tops List of Tourist Arrivals in Nepal

According to the Board, the tourism curve continued upward throughout the peak tourist season between October-November, 2018. Surprisingly, the increased tourist number during the period excludes overland international visitors.

If the tourist growth rate was calculated including tourists arrivals via land, then the figures would have jumped to 23 percent.

India topped the list of tourist arrivals in Nepal between January-November 2018 with a record 260,124 visitors, followed by Chinese tourists at 134,362 arrivals, Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

Beyond neighboring countries, Nepal also tourist arrivals from Europe, US and Australia with a healthy growth of 224,206, 82,870 and 33,528 tourists, respectively.

Nepal Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Deepak Raj Joshi attributed Nepal’s reinforcement as one of the most preferred tourist destinations, to the country’s extraordinary visitor growth rate

“The growth can be attributed to concerted efforts of Government of Nepal, Nepal Tourism Board, private sector travel trade and media towards promotion of overall tourism sector in the international tourism arena,” said Joshi.

Autumn Kick-Starts Nepal Tourism Season

The tourism season has kicked off in Nepal with a 33.8 percent increase in September 2018!

Nepal experiences Autumn in the period between September- November, which is considered the ‘best time’ to visit the Himalayan Nation. 

According to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), 91, 820 foreigners visited Nepal in September 2018 alone.

Currently, the Nepal tourism industry is doing well going by the number of tourists who have visited the country since January 2018. NTB has recorded a total of 772, 798 foreigners, which has increased by 20 percent compared to the same period in 2017.

According to NTB statistics, following is the summarization of tourist arrivals by the country during the month of September 2018:

• Tourists from India doubled compared to August 2018, marking 16,345 arrivals in September 2018
• Chinese tourists increased to 12, 947 in September 2018, recording a 55 percent growth
• Sri Lankan arrivals jumped to 8,807 indicating a 57.1 percent
• Japan and South Korea projected an 8.9 percent and 9.2 percent growth, respectively
• SAARC countries accounted for 52.8 percent Y-o-Y growth
• Non-SAARC Asian countries registered a significant growth of 42.6 percent
• European countries registered an overall growth of 66.3 percent arrivals compared to September 2017
• Germany & France projected 30.09 percent and 19 percent, respectively
• However, Nepal tourism witnessed a decrease in Australian, New Zealand, US and Canadian arrivals, with each registering 9, 4, 9 and 2 percent respectively in September 2018

NTB Chief Executive Officer Deepak Raj Joshi credited the ‘rigorous promotional activity’ for the healthy growth of Nepal’s tourism sector.

Nepal earned Rs 67.09 billion from its tourism industry in FY 2017-18.

July Tourist Arrivals in Nepal Touch 73.5 Percent

Witnessing an upward curve in the month of July, visitors to Nepal increased to 73.5 percent for the Jan-July period of 2018!

The magnificent increase is attributed to the rise in the number of tourists from countries like India, China, UK, and USA, according to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) statistics.

Nepal July 2018 Statistics:

• Nepal welcomed 73,285 international tourists in July, most of who visited Tibet’s Kailash Manasarovar through Nepal
• 18,385 Indian tourists visited Nepal via flight in 2018, showing an 80.4 percent Y-o-Y rise
• After India, China accounted for the highest number of visitors to Nepal resulting in a double-fold increase of 13,123 visitors. This amounts to a 125.4 percent increase compared with the last year
• Japan and South Korea visitors increased by 36 percent and 21.9 percent, respectively
• Overall visitors from SAARC countries recorded a growth of 66 percent in comparison with July 2017
• Asian tourists (excluding SAARC) accounted for a growth of 86.2 percent
• Nepal recorded a 54.1 percent overall tourist increase from Europe
• UK, Germany, and Spain showed an increase of 68.9, 53.9 and 41.2 percent
• Australia and New Zealand showed a significant growth of 113. 9 and 75.2 percent, as compared with July 2017
• Visitors from the US and Canada grew by 76.9 percent and 73.3 percent, respectively

“In addition to neighboring markets, the Asia Pacific region has seen rapid economic development in recent times. The positive growth in visitor arrivals from all major markets is highly encouraging and undoubtedly present significant opportunities to the travel and trade sector and to the entire country,” said Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO, NTB.

Although there are a number of reasons behind the increasing numbers, NTB has identified ‘promotional programs’ as one of the key reasons.

“Destination promotion, travel marts, sales missions, business to business (B2B) and business to consumers are the major programs that have been continuously organized in major source markets,” reads a press statement issued by the NTB.

May 2018 Tourist Arrivals in Nepal

Recent statistics by the Department of Tourism have shown a 9.6 percent rise in the number of tourists visiting Nepal in the month of May 2018, year-on-year.

When it comes to the overall 2018 tourist arrivals in Nepal, the first five months of the year saw a 12.5 percent year-on-year growth.

According to the department, a total of 68,825 foreign tourists visited Nepal during the month, with SAARC countries alone showing a 2.2 percent rise over the same month last year and Asia (other than SAARC) accounting to 14.2 percent rise.

Nepal saw 940,218 foreign tourists in 2017 with most of them coming from neighboring nations, followed by the US, Canada, Australia and Europe, among others.

The latest announcement comes as an encouragement to Nepal Tourism department, which is aiming at 2 million annual tourist arrival target by 2020.

Celebrating the growth in tourism activity, the Himalayan country is also planning to observe 2020 as the Visit Nepal Year.

Average Duration of Stay

In contrast to the rising tourist arrival trend, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation statistics indicate a drop in the average duration of foreign tourists’ stay in Nepal in 2017, terming that as a seven-year low.

According to the department of tourism, 2017 saw a 6% drop in the duration of stay, year-on-year, missing the target of 14 days.

The average duration of stay was just 12.6 days in 2017, less than 13.4 days in 2016, 13.16 days in 2015, 12.44 in 2014, 12.60 in 2013, 12.16 in 2012, 13.12 in 2011 and 12.67 in 2010.

The department analyzed the length of stay of 400,000 tourists as part of the survey.

According to Bikram Pandey-Kaji, a campaigner for Buddhist circuit cross-border tourism, the rise in 4-5 day packages has contributed to decline in the duration of stay among foreign tourists.

“The data may change but the decline in the number is not so alarming,” he said. “The fluctuation in statistical calculation has occurred because of an increasing number of tourists visiting more than two places during one travel. So, they have a shorter stay in Nepal,” says Pandey.

“In 2017, the country was facing infrastructure issues, political changes, pollution and other obstacles. So, most of the tourists may have preferred to shorten their lengths of stay in Nepal,” Binayak Shah, General Secretary of Hotel Association Nepal (HAN).

 “In any case, rather than the number of days, the amount they spend here matters more,”  he adds. The average spending of a foreign tourist per day in Nepal increased to USD 54 in 2017 from USD 53 of the previous year.

Shah is hopeful that the things would get better gradually in 2018.

Also Read:

• Nepal, The Perfect Tourism Destination for an Unforgettable Holiday Experience

The post 2018 Nepal Tourist Arrivals: Reaches Magical 1 Million Mark appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

A few people are describing this move as an attempt to divert an independent investigation into the multi-billion-rupee scam and save the perpetrators from consequent penalty.

However, members of the probe panel said that they will continue to investigate the case even if the government uses the judicial committee to obstruct the proceedings of their investigation.

“We don’t know what the government intends. A meeting of the committee is taking place tomorrow,” informed Nepali Congress Lawmaker Rajan KC.

A short while after the parliamentary sub-committee released its report, the government expressed its displeasure stating that the report was publicized without prior discussion with PAC and following the required procedure.

Speaking at a television program, PM Oli had supported that Government’s decision of forming an independent commitment and engaging responsible investigation bodies such as the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse Authority (CAAN).

Communications Minister Baskota seconded the PM’s decision at a Ministry press briefing to disclose the government’s decision.

Minister Baskota added that the government cannot do anything before the accused were tried legally by the related prosecution authorities.

“One can’t be convicted immediately when someone just accuses him or her. There are several other agencies in place for that purpose,” said Minister Baskota.

When questioned about the government’s response to the recommendation against those involved in the irregularities, Minister Baskota asked media to wait until PAC’s final decision.

“We are waiting the final decision from the Committee. Then, if there is an urgency of judicial probe panel to look this matter the government will form such committee based on past practices and experiences,” said Baskota while adding that the formation of a judicial committee will not be for hiding any related information or protecting anybody.

Currently, the incumbent government is against the parliamentary committee’s report whereas the Nepali Congress and other smaller parties including Bibeksheel Sajha Party and Naya Shakti Party are demanding that the accused be convicted for the irregularities.

The post Nepal Govt. Forms Judicial Committee to Investigate Aviation Scam appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Terming the deal as one of the biggest corruption scandals in Nepal’s history, the Parliamentary Public Account Committee (PAC) informed that the procurement of the two-wide body Airbus A330 jets has resulted in a loss of NPR 4.35 billion for the Nepal Government.

Nepali Congress Lawmaker Rajan KC Report

Nepali Congress lawmaker Rajan KC prepared a 58-page investigation report, which he submitted to PAC on January 03, 2019. The report allegedly points at officials of the highest level in the Tourism industry involved in the procurement process of the two-wide body aircraft.

The report was prepared after a 20-day long investigation charging Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari and former ministers Jivan Bahadur Shahi and Jitendra Dev of not taking enough measures to cancel the deal.

The Investigation also named NAC Managing Director Sugat Ratna Kansakar as the kingpin in the scandal and suggested his immediate termination besides the two sitting secretaries Prem Kumar Rai and Krishna Prasad Devkota and former secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari who was earlier NAC Chairman.

Shahi was charged for paying the commitment fee for the jet’s purchase through a ministerial-level meeting.

However, in his statement to the investigation panel, he denied being directly involved in the NAC jet procurement process.

Dev was accused of making the initial payment to HiFly X Ireland, the supplier of both aircraft.

“But Dev lied to us, saying that he was not involved in any deal,” KC told lawmakers in a PAC meeting.

Minister Adhikari was charged with negligence for sending the final payment to the Portuguese company despite promising to perform a detailed investigation of the case.

Instead, he only carried out an in-house investigation.

“The NAC has not given us the bill of sale of the two jets. We suspect that the ‘irregularities’ amount could go further up if the bill of sale is calculated. It needs a further investigation on the amount released to HiFly X by NAC and the amount paid by HiFly to the aircraft manufacturer Airbus,” KC told lawmakers.

“We have asked PAC to get the payment details from the Airbus through the Foreign Ministry,” KC added.

NPR 4.35 billion Loss

According to the sub-committee report, the NAC signed USD 209.6 million contracts for two A330-220 jets with the United States AAR Corp in April 2017 without paying heed to the rate suggested by its sub-committee.

While the sub-committee had suggested that each jet would cost USD 93,047,434 based on the 2016 rate card, the NAC’S negligence has cost Nepal USD 23.6 million losses for two jets.

Specifications including maximum takeoff weight were projected lower to 230 tons instead of 242 as mentioned in the bid document.

This reduction in takeoff weight has cost the country a loss of USD 8.4 million.

According to NAC’s bid document, the minimum age of the proposed aircraft cannot exceed more than 10,000 hours and the date of manufacture should not be older than January 2014.

This indicates that the national flag carrier ordered second-hand or old planes. Following this, there should be a price reduction.

However, NAC had made a price escalation at an optimum limit for old planes causing USD 6.8 million losses to Nepal airways.

Additionally, a 38-member visited Toulouse in France to inspect the jets that cost an additional NPR 10 million according to the KC report.

Lawmakers say that they will finalize the report and send it to the Tourism Ministry and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) for stringent action against nearly 4 dozen people.

CIAA may conduct an independent investigation.

The post Nepal Airlines Corporation Scam Lands Country in NPR 4.35 billion Soup appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The National Concern and Coordination Committee of the House made this recommendation after a detailed on-field study of the project.

The Committee asked the Tourism Ministry to come up with the new DPR within the ongoing fiscal year i.e. before July 2018, to proceed with the further process.

However, experts disagree with the Committee’s proposal terming that as ‘waste of time and money’, considering the government’s existing commitments and lessons from the past experiences.

According to them, the government already is still due to reimburse NPR 700 million to the Korea-based Landmark Worldwide Company (LMW) for its Detailed Feasibility Study (DFS) submitted in August 2011.

Experts opine that DFS is already a detailed document for the project’s potential and helps in complete investment decision-making, approval and planning.

Whereas, DPR is the study that lays path for further implementation of the project in terms of costs and benefits, among other internal factors.

But the real challenge is a DPR prepared by one organization cannot be used by the other. That’s where the experts say it’s of no use in preparing a new DPR by the government.

“Obviously, there will be need of the DPR but not one prepared by the government. The firm who will get the project will prepare the DPR on its own as per international practice. Hence, the Nijgadh Airport’s DPR is a waste of money,” says a source from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

In its recommendations, the Committee also raised urged not to cut-down trees for project construction and asked the ministry to plan compensatory plantation with strict enforcement in all places where they are chopped down.

So far, more than 2.4 million trees have been cut down to build the airport.

The Ministry was also directed to ensure that the land allocated for construction lies in the name of the project.

Overall, the committee urged the government not to delay the airport construction beyond the set deadlines.

The post Nijgadh Intl Airport: Committee Pitches for New Project Report appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Nepal Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari and Cambodia Minister of the Secretariat of Civil Aviation Mao Havanall signed the milestone agreement which will now facilitate operation of 14 weekly flights between Nepal and Cambodia.

Moreover, Nepal-Cambodia ASA will allow both countries airlines to launch commercial flights.

“There will be no restriction on cargo flights,” informed Suresh Acharya, Joint Secretary, Tourism Ministry.

The agreement also makes room for code-sharing including third-party code-sharing, wherein airlines of both countries can partner with other countries’ airlines to provide services in the respective markets.

Earlier in 2015, Cambodian officials had expressed their desire to establish air links with Nepal, especially with the upcoming Gautam Buddha International Airport, Bhairahawa during the International  Civil Aviation  Organization (ICAO) Air Services Negotiation Event in Turkey’s Atalya.

The Buddhist Circuit
The Bhairahawa airport project is being constructed with an aim to facilitate international pilgrimage to Lumbini besides catering to the region’s fast rising business and industrial hub.

The Nepal Government plans to make this pride project operational from 2019 with the goal of welcoming 2 million tourists under the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign.

“The ASA is expected to bring Cambodian airlines to Gautam Buddha International Airport in the near future. With the signing of the first ASA, both the countries can mutually benefit in terms of tourism,” said Pramod Nepal, Under Secretary, Tourism Ministry.

Additionally, the government is planning to promote Buddhist pilgrimage in a big way and that’s why the Bhairahawa project is important.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank member, opines that the Buddhist Circuit including Nepal and India is an important pilgrimage site for 450 million existing Buddhists and travelers interested in the culture.

Following are the forms of Buddhism practiced by Asian countries:

• Mahayana Buddhism – East Asian Buddhism with 185 million followers

It is also the most predominant form of Buddhism practiced in China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.

• Thervada Buddhism – Over 125 million followers

It is predominantly practiced in the Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

• Vajrayana Buddhism – Approx 20 million followers

It is practiced in greater Tibetian and Mongolian regions, Bhutan, parts of Western China, the Himalayas, the Russian Federation and China.

In 2018, Nepal has signed air agreements with Japan, India and Australia. Very recently, Nepal also became the 135^th Montreal Convention member. These and many other developments prove that Nepal aviation has a bright future.

Lat but not the least, Nepal-Cambodia also signed an agreement to promote bilateral cooperation and cultural exchange between both countries.

The post Nepal Cambodia Attest First Bilateral Air Service Agreement appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

In view of the global insurance & rescue firms’ serious note on halting their services, the government decided to bar all local agents of those firms from getting involved in tourism search & rescue operations.

A high-level government panel investigating the issue announced a 15-point Mountaineering and Trekking Search and Rescue Guidelines that proposes a special police force under the Nepal Tourism Board to support mountaineering activities in place of agents.

“The guidelines aim to curb fraudulent activities while conducting search and rescue of tourists, especially foreign trekkers and mountaineers visiting high mountain areas,” says Dandu Raj Ghimire, Director General at the Department of Tourism, Nepal.

According to Ghimire, the proposed guidelines will soon come into force after rounds of consultations with all the related stakeholders.

“None of the agents will be allowed to conduct search and rescue of tourists on behalf of international companies,” he adds.

Under the new guidelines:

• A special rescue and search unit under Nepali police will offer 24/7 support in managing necessary resources, along with helicopter services and high-altitude rescues
• The special unit can also invite private helicopter companies to bid for rescue services that they want to offer tourists in high mountains
• The unit holds authority to mobilize police or army choppers in the absence of private helicopters
• The police welfare fund will be instantly utilized to conduct search & rescue, and will be reimbursed once the payment is made by the insurance companies
• A special monitoring committee under the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Home Affairs will take care of arrangements from fixing prices to validating documents

“Minister, secretary and representatives from different companies are scheduled to meet to finalize the guidelines,” Ghimire said in a statement.

Ghimire expressed hope the new guidelines will put an end to malpractices such a fake insurance claims concerning tourists visiting Nepal.

Also Read: Nepal Tourism Insurance Scam: Global Insurers Warn, Demand Stern Action

The post Nepal Tourism Insurance Scam: Govt Proposes Special Rescue Unit appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The Nepali Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Rabindra Adhikari informed this in a Parliamentary session on June 26, 2018.

Addressing the Parliament, the Minister said that the government is planning to promote 100 places as new tourism centers from the next fiscal year, with at least 10 new destinations in every province.

Besides, the government is also looking at ways to expedite the reconstruction of quake-hit heritage sites, promotion of religious sites and home stays, among others.

With regard to improving air connectivity for tourists, the government is looking forward for the development of new airports across the country with at least one major airport in each province. Some of the new airports include: Pokhara regional & international airport with in duration of three years, Nijgadh international airport in Bara and Gautam Buddha Airport in a year, among others.

Besides, the government is keen on enhancement of the existing airports. To ease the traffic at the Tribhuvan International Airport, the government has already increased the airport’s operational time to 21 hours in a day from May 21, 2018.

Apart from these, five national-pride projects are also on priority for the government.

On the external front, tourism publicity programs are also being planned in the neighboring countries India and China. According to the Minister, the implementation of direct flight services from Nepalgunj to New Delhi after three months is also on cards.

According to Adhikari, all the relevant plans and implementations are being formulated in line with the 2020 campaign.

The post Nepal Tourism Plans Big for ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

With various infrastructure projects pending across the country, the Nepal Tourism Ministry has postponed its Visit Nepal Year 2018 Campaign to 2020 that targets at attracting 1.5 million tourists.

The Ministry cited low pace of road and airport upgradation projects, reconstruction of historical monuments and cultural heritage sites as the reasons for postponement.

“As we had little time to make preparations for the national campaign, we have decided to reschedule it. However, the ministry will launch a massive marketing campaign in 2019 before starting Visit Nepal Year 2020,” says Ghanshyam Upadhyaya, Tourism Ministry Spokesperson.

Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and Lumbini’s Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) are among two infrastructure projects that were deferred until 2019.

While the USD 92 million TIA upgradation project was slated for completion in 2016, GBIA was planned for completion in December 2017. These two projects are getting delayed because of payment and contractor related issues.

Other projects include upgradation of airport in Bhairahawa, the gateway to the pilgrimage destination of Lumbini in south central Nepal, expansion of the Narayanghat-Mugling road, Kathmandu Ring Road Improvement Project and the reconstruction of monuments & heritage sites damaged in the 2015 earthquake.

Nepal is also witnessing a lot of hotel construction activity, which is expected to add 4,000 star category rooms to the country by 2020. A dozen hotels are investing more than Rs 40 billion in the industry.

The post Tourism Ministry Postpones Vision Nepal Year 2018 Campaign appeared first on Nepali Sansar.