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

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Yes, Nepal’s people are an important asset to the Himalayan nation’s beauty!

And what is most surprising about Nepalis is despite their striking resemblance, the country is divided into 24 Ethnic Communities! Surprised? Don’t be.. We’ve got more..

Listed below are Nepal’s indigenous communities that have survived the transition of time but have stayed true to their origin:

• 1) Newars
• 2) Raute
• 3) Thakali
• 4) Tharu
• 5) Gurung
• 6) Rajbabanshi
• 7) Badi
• 8) Limbu
• 9) Thakuri
• 10) Sherpa
• 11) Chepang
• 12) Rai
• 13) Dhimal
• 14) Bahun
• 15) Chhetrri
• 16) Magar

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According to a Ministry official, enhancing the capacities of sub-national governments is important as they are now catering to many federal government rights.

Present Scenario
Provincial and local government officials expressed their difficulties in providing services according to the general public’s need in the absence of adequate staff, especially trained staff.

“The federal government has dispatched lower ranked staff to the local levels with limited knowledge. We do not need experts. We need trained staff,” said Hom Narayan Shrestha, President, National Association of Rural Municipality.

Training and workshops will help them gain knowledge on effective delivery of services, Shrestha added.

Federal Affairs Ministry’s Training Program
The good governance program has two components – training and challenge.

The training component aims to provide supply & demand-driven training to provincial & local governments and people-representatives.

“Under the supply-driven training-training related to financial management, ways to ensure greater participation of community in decision-making, handling judicial duties, making gender sensitive budget, revenue management among others can be provided. Demand driven training can be provided based on the demands of provincial and local governments,” said Amrit Lamsal, Under-Secretary, Federal Affairs Ministry.

To conduct this training program, the Ministry is planning to extend the reach of Local Development Training Academy to all seven provinces.

“The academy will train officials from provincial and local government,” said Lamsal.

Challenge Fund
Under the challenge fund, the Ministry aims at providing financial assistance to provincial and local governments if they come up with innovative measures to improve their services.

“For example, a municipality can propose automating all the ward offices and seek funding for it. Such a municipality can receive support from challenge fund,” said Lamsal.

Funds will be allocated based on distributing costs between federal & provincial governments as well as federal & local governments.

“The concerned provincial or local government must share certain portion of the financial burden,” Lamsal added.

An Investment of USD 150 Million
The Federal Affairs & General Administration Ministry aims to raise an amount for USD 150 million for the given project.

It plans to approach foreign investors including the European Union, Norwegian Government, Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation and UK Department for International Development for the training program.

However, it limits this investment to USD 100 million. The remaining amount will be contributed by the federal government who will be investing one-third of the global-donor spend and local & provincial government with a contribution of 10 percent of the given amount.

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Around 400 tourists including domestic and international are visiting Manang on daily basis. This new development comes as a result of the ‘construction of motorable road’, says Manang Tourism Entrepreneurs Committee Chair Binod Gurung.

“The number of domestic tourists has increased as they can even reach Upper Manang on motorcycles,” he added.

On a daily basis as many as 350 international and 50-60 domestic tourists come to the tourist destination, said Manang’s Dharapani Tourist Check & Information Centre.

Close to 80 percent of the locals are involved in tourism. Locals of Manang added that the number of tourists has increased in the past two years. Tilicho Base Camp hotels are packed due to the growing trend.

Mustang Witnesses High Tourist Inflow
Meanwhile, Mustang and Myagdi are witnessing a sudden increase in the number of domestic and international tourists, especially during the festive period between Dashain and Tihar.

Following this trend, hotels in these regions are brimming with tourists and failing to accommodate additional ones.

As a result, tourists are moving down to Baglung and Parbat districts in their quest for hotels.

“Many tourists go to Manang and Mustang this season. There are no big hotels in Manang and Mustang so tourists come to Baglung searching for hotels, ” said Nilesh Rajbhandari, a Baglung tourism entrepreneur.

The post Manang, Mustang See Rise in Tourist Arrivals appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

In the match held between Nepal and Maldives on October 27, 2018, the former defeated the opponent at 4-0 to secure its place in the semis.

As for Maldives, after successive defeats from Bangladesh and Nepal, the team had to give up all hopes on winning a trophy this year.

Nepal Vs Bangladesh
Nepal will now compete with Bangladesh on October 29, 2018 to decide a strong Group A representative for the finals.

Bangladesh has been displaying a remarkable performance since the Championship started. It defeated Maldives on October 25, 2018 with a whopping 9-0!

Currently, both teams, Nepal and Bangladesh share the same position on the performance chart with ‘three points’ each.

Group B Status
In the meanwhile, Pakistan beat Bhutan 4-0 to establish its position in the semi-finals. Following this, the India Vs Bhutan match on Nov 1, 2018 will decide which team will take on Pakistan in Group B semi-finals.

U-19 2018 Asian Football Championship
Things seems to be favor in Nepal at the U-19 2018 Asian Football Championship as well. In a face-off between India and Nepal on October 26, 2018, the Himalayan Nation defeated India 2-0!

Although the match begin on an equal note for both countries, the course of the game decided Nepal winner over India.

Striker Rekha stood out by giving Nepal victory-defining shots at the 59^th and 88^th minute.

All’s well that ends well, we hope Nepal continues to display a brilliant performance in its upcoming matches in both championships.

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Tourists are resuming visits to this famous tourist destination located in far Western Nepal owing to the friendly-climate.

Mid-September marked the beginning of the three most suitable months to visit this water-beauty. Moreover, regular flights and good roads are beckoning a large number of tourist arrivals to the lake.

Monsoons Hit Rara Lake Tourism
Monsoons had hit Rara tourism, severely. Roads on several sections were affected due to landslides. Hotels and home-stays in the region became desolate with no activity in sight.

But now the situation is slowly improving post monsoon climate and the site including the Rara National Park is thriving with a few foreigners & significant number of domestic tourists.

According to National Park authorities, currently over 150 new domestic tourists are visiting the park each day. These include tourists from Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lumbini, Butwal, Biratnagar, Bhairahawa and Bhaktapur.

Hotels and Home-stays are also operating in full swing.

What Makes Rara Special?
Rara lake is considered as the largest lake in Nepal with an altitude of 2,999 m above sea level and a surface area of 10.8 sq km.

This beautiful lake is characterized by pristine water, a scenic backdrop and several indigenous varieties of fish.

Rara National Park Official Prithvi Lam Nepal said, visitors have taken up to camp fires and local food along the lake, besides sightseeing and boating.  

Additionally, locals have started rearing horses to conduct horse rides for tourists and add extra income.

The post Nepal Monsoon Clears Out, Restores Rara Lake Tourism appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Current Ethiopian Career Diplomat Ms. Sahle-Work Zewde became the country’s first woman President after being elected through a unanimous vote from lawmakers.

Zewde will be serving a six-year term as President of Ethiopia. Prior to her appointment as President, she served as UN’s top official at the African Union.

In the past, Zewde represented Ethiopia in France and Djibouti at top diplomatic posts. Zewde now replaces ex- Ethiopia President Mulatu Teshome, who served the country since 2013 and resigned recently.

While taking her ‘oath at office’ Zewde stressed on the importance of respecting women and the requirement to build society that does not oppress women.

She also pledged her support for peace and unity in the country.

Ethiopia Empowering Its Women
Zewde’s appointment as President is no surprise move to the nation. In fact, Ethiopia is currently witnessing a wave of women empowerment. During October 15-19, 2018, Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appointed a 20-person cabinet of which, half the posts are held by women.

The cabinet includes Ethiopia’s first Defence Minister Aisha Mohammed and newly-established Ministry of Peace leader Muferiat Kamil.

“In a patriarchal society such as ours, the appointment of a female head of state not only sets the standard for the future but also normalizes women as decision-makers in public life,” tweeted Fitsum Arega, Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

What People Say?
People across Ethiopia have shown their support to Zewde’s as President.

On the occasion, there are some important statements made concerning Zewde’s election and the women empowerment drive in Ethiopia:

“In a historic move, the two Houses has elected Ambassador Shale-Work Zewde as the next President of #Ethiopia. She is the first female head of state in modern Ethiopia,” tweeted Arega.

Co-founder of feminist Setaweet movement, Sehin Teferra said the appointment is crucial because gender equality in Ethi­o­pia is generally “abysmal,” characterized by “very high levels of violence against women.”

“We are always in the top of the gender inequality index, and we do very badly in terms of representation. But now the government is making a powerful statement with the new cabinet and with this appointment,” she adds.

Zewde is the fourth President since the current EPRDF coalition came to power. Let’s see how the new Ethiopian President will take the women empowerment revolution forward.

The post Zewde Elected Ethiopia’s First Woman President appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Speaking at the Meeting of Exporters at the Surgical Instruments Manufacturers & Exporters Association of Pakistan (SIMAP) auditorium Lamsal said, Nepal was very much interested in:

• Enhancing bilateral trade
• Identifying business opportunities
• Setting up joint-ventures in various fields in Pakistan

 
She also pledged to make efforts to mutual boost trade ties, especially when it was the right time. Currently, both countries are enjoying cordial trade relations.

Additionally, she also extended full support to Sialkot exporters for easy access to the Pakistani business community and the international Nepali trade markets.

Trade Opportunities in Pakistan, Nepal
Sialkot surgical exporters pitched for regular exchange of updated trade information and delegations to enhance trade ties.

Lamsal agreed with the proposal and went on to add that there were bright opportunities of establishing joint-ventures with Sialkot-Pakistan business community in various trade fields. Nepali companies have been showing keen interest for the same.

Pakistan Surgical Industry Leader Muhammad Jehangir Bajwa and SIMAP Chairman Khalilur Rehman Mughal represented Pakistan at the meeting.

Bajwa pointed that Sialkot exporters have a great potential to explore and tap international Nepali markets by exporting world-class traditional and non-traditional export products.

However, the disadvantage was that there was no direct link between both countries’ communities.

Rehman said that Nepal should focus on purchasing these surgical products directly from Pakistan instead of spending a huge purchase amount in European markets. Countries like these buy surgical products from Pakistan for re-sale.

The post Nepal, Pakistan Meet to Address Sialkot Exporter Woes appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

In a bid to promote football in Qatar & Nepal and strengthen bilateral ties between both nations, All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and Qatar Football Association (QFA) signed an agreement.

ANFA President Karma Tsering Sherpa and QFA President Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al-Tani signed the deal on October 23, 2018 at Doha, Qatar.

“I am very pleased to be in Qatar for this agreement. I would like to thank H E Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Football Association, the QFA Vice President and the Secretary General for this warm welcome,” Sherpa said.

According to ANFA, the deal covers:

• Both Parties’ Support for Collaboration
• Managerial Cooperation
• Exchange Programs for Officials, Technical Experts, Coaches, Referees & Players

 
Following activities will be covered under exchange events:

• General Management and Management
• Marketing and Promotional Activity
• Study and Research
• Research on Football Matters
• Sports Science Related to Football
• Sports Medicine Related to Football
• Technical and Conditioning Coaching
• Game Development and Talented Player Development
• Football Management and Technical Direction
• Women’s Football
• Youth Football
• Futsal
• Referees
• Rules and Regulations

 
“The agreement will strengthen the cooperation in various fields related to football. We know the experience Qatar has in the field of developing the sport. Their training courses for players, officials, referees and coaches etc are hugely beneficial for the participants,” Sherpa added.

The ANFA President was in full praise of Qatar Football Association. He said there is no doubt why Qatar has become the leading sports center in Asia. Nepal is proud to be associated with a responsible body like QFA.

Qatar to Host 2022 FIFA World Cup
Qatar is already gearing up to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Sherpa found the preparations to be impressive. He visited the pavilion at the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.

“It was a very wonderful tour and I found answers to many of the questions I had before my visit. The remarkable progress made by Qatar’s towards hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup is truly stunning. Qatar clearly has huge potential to bring the world football fans together for the big event,” he said.

Adding further, Sherpa says, “We have seen the models of the stadiums that are under construction right now. The venues and facilities are top-notch.”

Let’s see what Qatar has in store for us all at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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Yes! The country decided to scale the height of the mammoth mount only to measure its height.

In an expedition that begin in February 2018, Nepal’s Department of Survey (DoS) sent a team of 27 members to conduct this operation.

According to DoS, it is measuring the mount’s height after the massive 2015 earthquake devastated Nepal. Many countries have conducted expeditions on the mount bringing out different results on its height. However, Nepal has never been on an expedition to the tallest mountain within its boundary.

Height Scaled Until Now

DoS said, so far the measurement is complete up to 2,800 m from sea level.

Additionally, the team has installed temporary benchmarks within a gap of every 200 m and permanent ones in every 2 kms to eliminate any scope for error in measurement.

At ground level, the team has measured 170 km in distance from Madar in Siraha district to the southern edge of Sulukhubu district that is home to Mt. Qomolangma.

“We completed the work of precise leveling in 170-km-long distance from Madar to Solukhumbu. Now, we have to work on the 78-km-long distance to complete the work,” said Sushil Dangol, Coordinator, Everest Height Measurement Secretariat, DoS.

Rain Obstructs Survey

The progress of the mission was hindered due to rainy season throughout July, August, and September.

Resuming works on October 24, 2018, the Department sent the 27-member team with two tasks— continue precise leveling in Solukhumbu district and gravity observation works in several locations in districts surrounding Mt. Qomolangma.

“The work of precise leveling will be performed up to the height around 4,000 m from the sea level. Another mythology–trigonometrical leveling will be performed above the areas from 4,000 m because human and equipment cannot be taken there for the precise leveling easily,” said Bibek Nepal, Engineer at Everest Height Measurement Secretariat.

DoS has established a deadline of 2019-end for measurement competition and results.

Following are the height estimates made by several countries and survey groups:

• According to India’s 1954 survey, Nepal has so far recognized 8,848 m as Qomolangma’s altitude
• China which first estimated the mount’s height in 1975, reassessed its height at 8,844.43 and further 3.5 m with snow
• US National Geography and Museum of Science, Boston measured the height of the peak at 8,850 m including snow in 1999

 
DoS has planned to measure the height of the mountain with and without snow and rope in an international expert during data processing to claim international recognition for the achievement.

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