Chairman of Nepal Airsports Association (NAW), Krishna Bhandari, stated that the tour operators would be permitted to restart the tourism activities.

As the government decided to roll back the prohibitory order which restricted activities due to the global pandemic.

“We have already organized a paragliding safety and awareness program to resume the service. Similarly, the condition of paragliding devices has been checked,” the Chairman said. “All the paragliding companies have successfully conducted test flights before resuming the flights, and the resumption is likely in a couple of days.”

Paragliding is a mainstay activity of Pokhara. The adventure tourism activity started in Pokhara in 1999. Currently, Pokhara has 60 paragliding companies and 350 pilots who are in the paragliding tourism sector. 15 of the 350 pilots are foreigners.

The sector has NPR 1 billion investment strapped on, and 1,000 people are directly employed and connected to the sector. After the first wave of Covid-19 subsided, the companies offered 50-60 percent discount to the customers. The discounts attracted a lot of domestic tourists to Pokhara.

The paragliding operators will have to decide the new fares said the NAW General Secretary Balaram Acharya.

Stay Tuned to NepaliSansar for Latest Nepal Tourism News Updates!

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The post Pokhara Paragliding All Set to Restart Soon appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Nation’s leading beauty pageant organizer RK Entertainment Group Pvt. Ltd. has officially announced the audition dates for Miss Grand Nepal 2021.

In the press meet at Hotel Nepalaya, Thamel, organization’s head Lucky Ram K.C. announced Bhadra 15, 2078 as the deadline for the registration to participate in the competition.

According to Ram, the auditions will be held from Shrawan 20 to Bhadra 11, 2078 in the regions,  Nepalgunj, Chitwan, Butwal, Birgunj, Pokhara, Dharan and Jhapa.

Whereas the auditions in Kathmandu and the grand finale are scheduled on Bhadra 20, 2078.

According to the organizing team, Miss Grand Nepal 2021 event finalizes five winners, who will be representing Nepal at five different international beauty pageants.

Also Read: Nepali Beau Garima Wins ‘Miss Nepal America 2021’ Crown!

The international pageants are Miss Tourism International, Miss Landscapes International, Miss Scuba International, and Miss Multinational. The fifth international franchise will be added from this year, which is yet to be revealed.

The winners will be awarded with trophies and cash prizes. Top of these, they will get an opportunity to debut at Nepali cinema.

NepaliSansar Extends Best Wishes to All Aspiring Nepali Beauties!

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The post Miss Grand Nepal 2021 Audition Dates Announced! Apply Now! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The Nepali Government has received FDI worth NPR 5.50 billion for the tourism business during mid-July and mid-September of the current fiscal year 2020/21.

According to the Department of Industry (DoI), the FDI commitment the government received for the tourism industry in the first two months of the current fiscal is almost the same as that of the last fiscal.

Of the total amount pledged, Nepal received FDI worth NPR 5.35 billion from China, the highest of all. The Chinese investors have proposed to open around 30 hotels and restaurants and provide employment opportunities to 618 people.

China has been leading in FDI pledges to Nepal, especially in the tourism sector, for the last few years. As Nepal has become a leading tourism destination for Chinese tourists, the investors from China have been showing a deep interest in opening hotels and restaurants, mainly in Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, and Chitwan.

As per the DOI records, the tourism sector has received a total of NPR 32.80 billion foreign investment in the past five years. Chinese investors have poured in NPR 23.23 billion, making up 71% of the total proposed amount.

Aslo Read: Nepali Tourism 2019: Foreign Arrivals to Chitwan Shrink

In the FY 2019/20, Nepal received a foreign investment commitment of NPR 25.79 billion for the tourism sector, with China proposing to invest NPR 11.66 billion.

Stay Tuned to NepaliSansar for Latest Tourism News!

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The post Nepal Tourism Receives NPR 5.50Bn FDI in First Two Months of Current FY appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

With this, the coronavirus cases in the country crossed 5,000-mark to stand at 5,062.

Meanwhile, a 57-year-old man from Malarani Rural Municipality-4 has died from COVID-19 infection, taking the total death tally to 16.

However, 16 patients were discharged from various hospitals after a successful recovery, taking the total recoveries to 877.

In the last 24 hours, the Nepali Government has conducted the PCR test on 5,925 COVID-19 suspects.

So far, 309,914 suspects were tested for coronavirus in Nepal. Of these, 121,862 suspects were tested through the PCR method and 188,052 through the RDT method.

Despite improving testing capacity, the country has been witnessing an exponential rise in coronavirus cases, with around 3,200 infections in the last ten days.

With the sudden spike in cases, the youth across the country protested against the Nepali Government’s apathy towards controlling the coronavirus pandemic.

Demands of the protestors include

• Expenses of the procurement of COVID-19 equipment to be made transparent
• Stopping Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT)
• Withdraw decision to impose an additional tax

People held demonstrations across various locations including Kathmandu, Nepalgunj, Pokhara, Dharan, Chitwan, and Birgunj.

A Glance at COVID-19 in Nepal

• Total Cases – 5,062
• Recovered – 877
• Active Cases – 4,169
• Deaths – 16
• PCR Tests – 121,862
• Quarantine – 158,050

The post Nepal Records Highest Single-day Spike with 448 COVID-19 Cases appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

A total of 89 paragliding pilots from 30 various countries including Nepal are competing in the event which will last till February 29, 2020.

Fifteen players from Nepal are participating in the competition.

The USA, the UK, France, Japan, India, Korea, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Russia, Iran, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei and Indonesia are among other countries taking part in the tour.

Twelve Chinese pilots have been pulled out from the competition as they could not reach Nepal due to coronavirus epidemic in their country.

Event Organizers

• Nepal Airsport Association
• Nepal Paragliding and Hand gliding Association
• Nepal Paragliding Pilots Club

Event Coordinators

• International Aeronautical Federation

On the first day of the competition, pilots were engaged in practice paragliding from Sarangkot to Khapaundi.

According to the organizers, around five to eight top pilots will be selected for 2021 Paragliding World Cup Championship Superfinals.

The ongoing PWCAT in Nepal is part of the three tours to be held in South Asia in 2020 for determining the qualification of the pilots for the 2021 Paragliding World Cup Tour.

The remaining two tours will be held in Indonesia and China later this year.

The Nepali Government expects that the ongoing tour will boost the tourism arrivals during the ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ campaign.

Nepal aims to attract 2 million tourists in 2020.

The post Nepal Hosts Paragliding World Cup Asian Tour 2020 appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The Sudur Paschimanchal Literary Society will organize the Literature Festival in Dhangadhi, Sudur Paschim State.

According to the Society President, Ram Lal Joshi, the festival is being organized to promote the literature, art and culture of the Sudur Paschim (far-west) region, as well as other places.

Around 200 litterateurs and writers from Nepal and other countries including India, Bhutan, Burma, America and Bangladesh will participate in the festival.

Along with the Literature Festival, a food festival  is also being hosted at the same venue.

Hotel Entrepreneurs Association Kailali will host the food festival.

The main attraction of the food festival will be the preparation of phado soup, a specialty of the Sudur Paschim region, in a 1,000 liters capacity pot.

According to the Association President, Kamal Bom, 25 stalls featuring local dishes will be arranged during the festival.

Earlier, Nepal organized the 8th edition of IME Nepal Literature Festival in Pokhara on December 13-16, 2019.

2019 Nepali Literature Festival Articles:

• Nepal to Observe IME Literature Festival 2019
• Nepal Literature Festival 2019 Concludes

The post Nepal to Observe World Nepali Lit Festival appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The event will witness:

• More than 600 players from 20 countries including Mexico, Switzerland, the USA, Spain, Russia and South Asian countries
• Nepali players from 41 districts
• Coaches, grandmasters and other officials

Nepal Martial Arts Hapkido Association, headed by Kali Bahadur Gharti Magar, is the main organizer of the two-day seminar.

Nepali Hapkido master Gharti Magar and eighth SAFF gold medalist boxer Prakash Thapa Magar, along with grandmasters from various countries will participate in the event as instructors.

[ALSO READ: 13th South Asian Games: Sports Events and Highlights]

Hapkido, a Korean martial art, is a form of self-defense that features mixed strategies including grappling, joint locks, kicks and punches, among others.

The seminar is being organized in Nepal with an aim to introduce the Korean martial arts in the country and to encourage the Nepali Hapkido players to compete in international matches.

The Hapkido seminar is expected to boost the tourism influx in Nepal during the ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ campaign.

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The post Nepal to Mark 1st Int’l Curriculum Seminar on ‘Hapkido’ appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Earlier, in the morning, the tourists were airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment after they were found unconscious due to a possible gas leak in their room in Everest Panorama Resort in Makawanpur, Nepal.

The deceased, who were part of a team of 15 tourists, were on a visit to Pokhara, Nepal from Kerala, India.

On their return journey, they had stopped at the resort for a night stay on January 20, 2020 and turned on a gas heater in the room to keep themselves warm.

The police suspect that the visitors died from suffocation due to possible gas leak from the heater. But, the cause of death is yet to be confirmed as the autopsy is under process.

Although the tourists have booked 4 rooms, 8 of them stayed in one room, while the rest slept in other rooms, Manager Shiva KC said.

A helicopter belonging to Kailash Helicopter Services Pvt Ltd arrived at the scene to airlift the victims, after the police were informed about the unconscious condition of the tourists.

The post 8 Indian Visitors Die at Nepal Resort Due to Possible Suffocation appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Indian tourist arrivals reached 169,952 between January and October 2019 by air.

But the Nepali Government does not have a procedure to count the number of Indian tourists coming through roadways.

So, the Pokhara Tourism Council and District Administration of Kaski mutually came up with the decision to ban Indian vehicles.

Pokhara is one of the most visited tourist places in the country and Indian vehicles who are not aware of the parking system and routes will lead to traffic chaos.

So, the ban was implemented to free the destination from traffic congestion during new year celebrations.

The ban will be lifted once the traffic congestion due to foreign vehicles is under control.

The Nepali Government has requested Indian tourists to cooperate with the provisional law and persuaded them to hire local transportation.

The law will upheave the business of the local travel agencies, entrepreneurs and cabbies, said Chiranjivi Pokharel, Tourism Council Chairperson.

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) launched ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ campaign with an aim to attract two million foreign tourists by 2020.

The Board has taken significant steps to increase the number of Indian tourists by 25% in 2020.

The post Nepal Outlaws Indian Vehicles on Pokhara Roads appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Nepal’s tourism capital Pokhara is getting ready for the most-awaited sports event i.e. 13^th South Asian Games.

The event to be held during December 1-10, 2019 will see a total of 662 athletes from South Asian nations competing in 8 different games.

Out of the total 27 games, 8 are scheduled to be held in Pokhara. Paragliding did not make its way due to a lack of registrations from other participating nations other than Nepal.

[LIVE UPDATES:  13th South Asian Games: Sports Events and Highlights]

In total, 401 females and 261 males from SAARC countries will be playing in 8 games, says Keshab Pathak, coordinator of SAG Pokhara Publicity Department, and a total of 172 officials are scheduled to be part of the sports event.

Maldives opted out of archery, weight lighting and triathlon events and has fielded 61 female, 26 male and 29 officials for 8 games in Pokhara. While India is participating in all except archery and cricket.

Bangladesh is participating in six games and has opted out of women football and triathlon events. Pakistan will be seen in five events other than women football, women cricket and triathlon.

Sri Lanka is expected in all the eight games, while Bhutan opted out of handball, women football, beach volleyball and triathlon.

Buy Tickets Online

Watch Video – 13th South Asian Games in Nepal

13^th South Asian Games Tickets Online!

Eagerly waiting for the most exciting sports events of the South Asian Games 2019, then hurry up to secure your spot at the stadiums.

The tickets are available online in eSewa portal: sag.esewa.com.np

One can book online and take a print of their ticket to get it verified in real-time at the venue.

Those holding eSewa account can purchase directly online, while others can visit nearby eSewa centers in various parts of the Kathmandu Valley.

Meanwhile, advanced booking is available for Pokhara matches starting November 29, 2019 for the 8 games to be held in the city.

The tickets are priced in the ranges of NPR 100, NPR 200 and NPR 500 for different categories.

While Dasarath Stadium has got 15,900 capacity, only 14,000 tickets are being sold for management purposes, informed National Sports Council Member Secretary Ramesh Kumar Silwal.

While, Pokhara’s football stadium capacity has been increased from 10,000 to 13,000.

Buy Tickets Online

Tight Security Arrangements

Nepal has planned tight security arrangements for the 13^th South Asian Games. SAG committee led by Sarvendra Khanal announced odd-even vehicular movement, special task forces, command posts and more part of security for SAG 2019.

“It is a matter of national pride. Security will be of paramount importance. Things as simple as no blowing horns to designated parking and media management will be handled efficiently for smooth regulation of event,” he said in a statement.

Special vehicles and security have been arranged to carry players to the venues. The odd-even rule will apply on the opening and closing days of the sports event.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Traffic Division is planning its way to control sounds and disturbance caused by vehicles during the event days.

The routes from Kalimati to Thapathali will be operated one-way and vehicles are allowed only from Shahid Gate to Tripureshwor during the events.

For visitors’ joy, Nepalaya is planning a picnic experience around the TU grounds with food and other stalls.

Gov. Hints Rise in Cash Rewards

The Finance Minister Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada informed that the government is going to implement sports-oriented policies in the federal structure.

While #SAG2019 is just 4 days to go, the Minister said the cabinet is yet to make a concrete decision on prize money for winning athletes.

He, however, hinted that there would definitely be a sizeable increment in revenues compared to previous editions.

 “Play for the country and medals, there will be sizeable increment in the prize money that government had provided in previous editions. Sports is a great medium to unite nations,” Khatiwada said in a statement.

“Players need to prepare well without being bothered about the rewards or the opposition. Athletes should be stubborn to win medals. Everything else will fall in place,” Nepal Olympic Committee president Jeevan Ram Shrestha said.

Previous versions of the sports event saw the Nepal Government’s cash prizes at Rs 300,000, 200,000 and 100,000 for the top three winners across multi-national prestigious tournaments.

An Encouragement to Media

In a move encouraging media for wide coverage of the SAG 2019, the government said it’s lifting the ban on video recording of SAG events.

“We understand media’s role in making an event and players commercially viable. Hence, we fall back from our previous stance to not allow video recording during the SAG. We look for enormous help from media fraternity to make the events as successful as possible,” said Shrestha.

However, the Nepali media, especially TV and internet, will be able to report only a minute of feed and live streaming is prohibited.

The Olympic Committee had banned the access to Nepali media and sold broadcasting rights to an Indian private media NK Media Ventures Pvt Ltd.

Eight Games in Pokhara

• Badminton – Badminton Covered Hall – December 1
• Women cricket – Pokhara Stadium – December 2
• Archery and triathlon – December 2
• Men’s and women’s handball, beach volleyball, weightlifting and women football from December 5
• Beach volleyball – Beach Volleyball Court – Barahighat
• Weightlifting – KC Catering Hall – Matepaani.
• Football – Gauri Shankar Playground – Geste Ghat Lamachaur of Pokhara-25
• Football Practice Matches – Nepal Army’s Western Division Camp at Bijayapur
• Cricket Practice Matches – Town Development Training Center Ground.

Host country Nepal will be seen in all the games comprising of 52 males, 102 females and 30 officials.

Official Mascot of 13th SAG 2019

Participating Nations

• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• India
• Maldives
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Sri Lanka

List of Sports – 2019 13th South Asian Games (SAG)

Sports  Venue – 2019 13th South Asian Games (SAG)

13th South Asian Games (SAG) Schedule

President Bidya Devi Bhandari is set to inaugurate the event in Kathmandu on December 01, 2019.

Prime Minister KP Oli, Head of State of the participating countries and foreign diplomats, among others will join the inaugural event. The event will see different special shows on Nepali art and culture.

The post All Set for 13th South Asian Games in Nepal, Get Live Updates! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.