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]]>As the new COVID-19 infection cases have declined steadily in the last two months, the Nepali tourism sector has started gaining traction lately.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the number of foreign visitors to the country dropped by more than 80% in 2020, the lowest in 34 years.
A total of 230,085 international tourists visited Nepal in 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic restricted global travel.
“The arrival figure is far worse than the downturn during the Maoist insurgency (1996-2006) and the 2015 earthquakes combined,” said Dhananjaya Regmi, NEB CEO.
“But we hope to rebound by mid-2021,” he added.
Though April, May, and June witnessed the lowest footfall, the number of visitors has increased gradually to around 10,000 in December, giving the much-needed hope for the Nepali tourism sector.
| Month in 2020 | No. of Foreign Tourists |
| January | 79,686 |
| February | 11,400 |
| March | 34,025 |
| April | 13 |
| May | 30 |
| June | 100 |
| July | 195 |
| August | 268 |
| September | 587 |
| November | 1,957 |
| December | 9,965 |
With the resurgence of foreign visitors, the NTB has started preparing strategic plans to attract more tourists to the country. Meanwhile, the Nepali Government has issued some relief funds to revive the tourism sector.
Overview
While the Nepali Government has planned to celebrate the year 2020 as the Nepal Tourism Year (Visit Nepal 2020) to attract at least 2 million tourists, the pandemic has halted global travel, tourism, and leisure.
According to the Department of Immigration, as many as 200,000 foreign tourists visited Nepal in the last eight months, a significant drop from 739,000 in the same period last year.
Only 199,903 foreigners have visited Nepal from January to August this year.
Moreover, the number of foreign tourists leaving Nepal is higher than the number visiting the country in the last eight months. As per DoI, 232,082 foreigners left Nepal through Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in the mentioned period.
The Nepali Tourism Board has around ten months in the current fiscal year 2020-21 to revive the tourism sector.
However, the Nepali Government has significantly slashed the budget for the current FY compared to the last fiscal.
The NTB has released a budget worth NPR 807 million for the current fiscal against NPR 1.63 billion allocated last fiscal.
“We have prepared a budget for the current fiscal year by slashing several expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Except for essential matters, we have not allocated budget for any other purpose,” said Dhananjay Regmi, CEO of NTB.
In 2019, Nepal received a total of 1.17 million foreign tourists, with the highest 209,611 from India, followed by 169,543 from China.
The tourists from the US stood at 93,196; UK 61,139; Sri Lanka 55,869; France 30,644; South Korea 29,679 and Spain 19,057.
ALSO READ: COVID-19 Hits Tourism Industry Hard: Nepal Sees NPR 60Bn Loss!
Visit Nepal 2020 Tourist Arrivals: 2% Drop in January
The Nepali government has inaugurated the ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ campaign amid much fanfare on January 1, 2020, with an aim to attract 2 million foreign tourists.
Despite promoting the campaign on the global stage, Nepal has witnessed a 2% drop in tourist arrivals in the first month of the tourism year 2020.
January 2020 Tourist Arrivals:
According to the report by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the total tourist arrivals decreased from 81,273 in January 2019 to 79,686 in January 2020, down by 2%. This number includes tourists who traveled to Nepal by air and land routes.
“Of the total tourists, 65,983 entered the country by air whereas remaining 13,703 by land routes,” NTB said.
Global Overview:
- SAARC countries – 26.9%
- European countries – 13%
- USA – 9.2%
- Asian countries (except SAARC) – 9.1%
- Oceania region – 4.1%
Top 5 Countries:
- India – 16,882
- China – 13,303
- USA – 6,386
- Myanmar – 4,447
- Thailand – 4,010
“The fall in the tourist arrivals in Nepal is primarily due to the decline in visitors from China”, said Ram Chandra Regmi, an information officer at the Department of Immigration.
Dhananjay Regmi, CEO at NTB, said that the coronavirus outbreak in China, the second-largest source market for Nepal, has directly impacted the tourism arrivals in Nepal.
Many Chinese tourists have already canceled their trips to Nepal amid massive countrywide lockdown in China.
The coronavirus outbreak has not only impeded the tourists from China, but it has also hindered the tourists from India and Europe.
The tourists from countries outside China are cancelling their trips to Nepal as the country shares most of its border with coronavirus-hit China.
The NTB further added that the tourist arrivals drop could be even harsh in February.
Meanwhile, the Nepali Government is taking necessary initiations to fill the gap created by drop in tourist arrivals.
Nepal is continuously launching promotional events and products in countries including Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and the Middle East, among others.
Also Read: Official exchange rates for Nepalese Rupee (NPR)
The government is planning to double the tourist arrivals from the countries outside China.
Earlier in 2019, Nepal has witnessed 1.17 million tourist arrivals via air and land routes.
More Stories on ‘#VisitNepal2020’ Campaign
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]]>The post Nepal Hotels Unveil Uniform Payout Structure Amid Coronavirus Crisis! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>Expecting a high influx of foreign guests, hotels across the nation started renovating their properties to reap the bonanza.
But the coronavirus pandemic has clobbered the Nepali hotel industry. Within a few weeks, the tourism got evaporated, hotels got shuttered and employees received unpaid holidays.
However, in the happy turn of events, the Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) and three major trade unions in the tourism and hospitality sector have unveiled a uniform pay-out structure on July 19, nearly after four months of lockdown.
According to the agreement, all the staff members, from front office workers to general managers, will get the same pay. The new payment structure is applicable from April 13 to December 31, 2020.
“Everyone will get equal salaries without working and sitting at home. Though unpopular, the move is to avoid layoffs,” said Binayak Shah, Vice-President of the HAN. “We will review the pay based on the situation further.”
The monthly salary details are as follows-
- Employees of Deluxe 5-star hotels (over 200 rooms) – NPR 10,000
- Employees of 5-star hotels – NPR 9,000
- Employees of 4-star hotels (over 100 rooms) – NPR 8,455
- Employees of 4-star hotels (less than 100 rooms) – NPR 8,000
- Employees of 3-star hotels – NPR 5,000
- Employees of 2-star hotels – NPR 4,300
Meanwhile, the employees of one-star and tourist standard hotels will get salaries based on mutual understanding with their employers.
Earlier in May, the hotels had decided to cut their losses by remaining closed for six months, as there is no scope of tourism visits to Nepal for at least another year.
“Even if the lockdown is lifted, the tourism industry will take time to recover because travelers will not immediately book foreign trips. The hotels will all be bankrupt by the time tourism rebounds as they have to pay staff salaries while income has come down to zero,” said Shah.
Stay Tuned to Nepali Sansar for all the latest breaking news on Nepal Tourism!
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]]>The post Nepal Takes Drastic Measures to ‘Stop’ Coronavirus Spread appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>Even though there have been no coronavirus cases so far, Nepal lacks the minimum healthcare facilities and procedures to combat the coronavirus infection if it enters the nation.
So, the Supreme Court (SC) issued an interim order to the Nepali government to take necessary steps to restrict the entry of coronavirus to the country.
Here are the Measures taken by Nepal against Coronavirus
- No ‘on-arrival visas’ for citizens of 5 countries including China, South Korea, Japan, Iran and Italy
- Postponed the first-ever Sagarmatha Sambaad
- Stopped promotions of ‘Visit Nepal 2020’ campaign
- Health screening of visitors from India arriving through land routes
- Cancelled the distribution of visitor passes at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA)
- Passengers and visitors at TIA must wear masks
- Temporary restriction of Nepalis leaving for South Korea through EPS
- Advised citizens to postpone foreign trips for study, employment or tourism
- Requested Hospitals to manage isolation wards
- Continuation of Kharipati quarantine centre
- Issued travel advisory to foreign-bound Nepalis
- Plans to set up isolation ward at TIA
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment (Video)
Likewise, the SC has ordered the government to suspend flights to and from coronavirus-hit countries including China, South Korea, Japan, Iran and Italy.
The Nepali Government has requested educational institutes to not organize annual celebrations, gatherings, sports events and parents meet, among others.
It advised the school management to complete the annual examinations for all the classes except 10th Grade by March 18, 2020. The board examination for Grade 10 has already been scheduled from March 19, 2020.
Moreover, the government has suspended issuing labor permit of foreign employment and cancelled issuing No Objection Letter (NOC) to the students going for abroad studies.
Coronavirus has spread to more than 70 countries outside China including Italy, Iran, the U.S., the U.K., France, Spain and India, among others.
So far, China, the epicenter of coronavirus outbreak, reported 2,943 death cases and 80,174 infection cases.
Whereas, the countries outside China reported 152 death cases and 10,372 infection cases.
Latest ‘Coronavirus’ News Updates:
- COVID-19 Outbreak Threatens Nepal’s Construction Projects
- Asia to Lose USD 115 Billion Tourism Revenue
- Nepal Restricts 50 Nepalis Leaving for South Korea
- 175 Nepali Evacuees Test ‘Negative’ for Coronavirus
- Nepal – A Coronavirus Free Zone: Minister Bhattarai
- 175 Nepali Evacuees to Undergo Health Screening
- COVID-19 Impacts Nepal’s Inflation Rate
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]]>The post Nepali Embassies Promote ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ Internationally appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>The event was held at the world-famous Eiffel Tower in France on January 6, 2020.
Dignitaries at the Event:
- Dipak Adhikari – Nepali Ambassador to France
- Prashant Upreti – Nepali entrepreneur based in France
The event participants have delighted the audience with the traditional Nepali Laakhe Naach and they distributed the leaflets with ‘VNY 2020’ logo.
[ALSO READ: Nepali Mountaineers Promote Visit Nepal 2020]Malaysia
Likewise, the Nepali Embassy in Malaysia has organized a program in Kuala Lumpur to support the ‘VNY 2020’ campaign on the very next day, i.e., January 7, 2020.
- Datuk Mohamaddin Bin Ketapi – Minister for Tourism, Art and Culture of Malaysia
- Udaya Raj Pandey – Nepali Ambassador to Malaysia
During the event, Minister Ketapi has emphasized on the need to adopt innovative technologies for tourism development and encouraged the Malaysians to visit Nepal.
Bangladesh
The Nepali Embassy in Bangladesh has organized an event to promote ‘Visit Nepal Year (VNY) 2020’ campaign at Dhaka on January 9, 2019.
Guests at the Event:
- Nurul Islam Sujan – Bangladesh Railway Minister
- Kedar Bahadur Adhikari – Secretary of Nepali Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation
During the event, the Embassy has appointed three notable Bangladeshi personalities as ‘VNY 2020’ goodwill ambassadors. They include:
- MA Mohit – Two times Mt. Everest summiteer
- Mehreen Bhuiyan Mahmud – Singer
- Zahid Hasan – Actor
The Embassy also introduced a tourism website, http://bd.nepalembassy.gov.np/blog/, as a social media platform for the tourists to share their experiences and stories during their visit to Nepal.
Germany
The Nepali Embassy in Berlin, Germany has organized a promotional program to inaugurate ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ campaign on January 9, 2019.
Chief Guests of the Event:
- Markus Potzel – Commissioner for South Asia of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany
- Ramesh Prasad Khanal – Nepali Ambassador to Germany
During the event, Ambassador Khanal encouraged the Germans and Nepalese to uplift different tourisms in Nepal such as adventure tourism, eco-tourism, mountain tourism, and cultural and historical tourism.
Visit Nepal Year 2020 Opening Ceremony Video
The Nepali government has inaugurated the ‘Visit Nepal 2020’ campaign on January 1, 2020, with an aim to attract 2 million foreign tourists.
Stay tuned to NepaliSansar.com for the latest Nepali news in English!
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- Gandaki State appoints Singer Prakash Saput and Mountaineer Nirmal Purja VNY 2020 Ambassadors
- Nepal Tourist Arrival Statistics 2019
- BEST Holiday Places to Visit in Nepal
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]]>The post Nepali Mountaineers Promote Visit Nepal 2020 appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>Two climbers reached the summit of the 5,895-meters high Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, on December 25, 2019.
- Ngima Lama Sherpa – Adventure Small World Treks & Expeditions
- Pasang Sherpa – Nepal Trekking Tourism & Adventure Pvt Ltd
Whereas, four climbers scaled the 6,962-meters high Mt. Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America, on January 4, 2019.
- Tashi Lakpa – Team Lead of Seven Summit Expedition
- Other Team Members – Halung Dorchi Sherpa, Satish Man Pati, Karma Tenzing Sherpa
Moreover, around 50 climbers also joined Tashi Lakpa team to promote the campaign.
Upon reaching the summits, the climbers have displayed the banners of ‘Visit Nepal 2020’ and expressed their commitment for the success of the campaign.
Visit Nepal Year 2020 Opening Ceremony Video
Earlier, the Nepali Government has organized the inaugural ceremony of ‘Visit Nepal 2020’ campaign on January 1, 2020.
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]]>The post Special Discount Offers of ‘Visit Nepal 2020’ appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>Discounts at a Glance:
- Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) – 30% discount on its services
- Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) – 20% discount on its services
- Homestay Association – 20% discount on Homestay lodging and foods.
- Nepal Association of Rafting Agencies (NARA) – 15% discount on rafting and other water-related adventure sports
- Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) – 10% discount on tour packages
The agencies have come forward with these offers to aid the government’s campaign to attract 2 million visitors in 2020.
On the other hand, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal and Thamel Development Council have decided to organize various promotional events targeting the Visit Nepal 2020.
The ambitious Visit Nepal 2020 campaign is being launched on January 1, 2020.
Tourism ministers from over a dozen countries are invited for the inaugural ceremony of the campaign in Kathmandu.
Tourism ministers from Bangladesh, India, China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Japan, United Arab Emirates and Qatar among other countries are going to be part of the event.
Related Article:
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]]>Speaking to the press, Colonel Subas Thapa said that domestic tourists as well as foreign visitors can participate in the events throughout the year. He also said that all the planned events are inexpensive and safe.
List of Events and Schedules:
- Paragliding – January to September
- Unification Trail Trek – March
- Everest Expedition and Cleaning Campaign – March to June
- Open Adventure including Cycling and Rafting – May
- Peace Seminar & Run for Fun – May
- Mountain Trekking – September
- Ligligkot Race & Nepal Marathon – October
- Jungle Safari – November and December
Tourists, who wish to participate in the events can log on to the official websites of the Nepali Army (nepalarmy.mil.np/) and ‘Visit Nepal’ campaign (https://visitnepal2020.com/).
Earlier, Nepali government has initiated the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign with an aim to attract at least 2 million foreign tourists in 2020.
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]]>The post Visit Nepal 2020 Campaign: Live from Jan 2020, Preparations on Full Swing! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>Yes, Nepal’s prestigious campaign is all set for launch on January 01, 2020 across all the seven provinces of the country.
The campaign will go live simultaneously in all provinces from Dasarath Stadium in Kathmandu.
Addressing the VNY 2020 Main Program Committee on November 25, 2019, the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai said all states will set up offices in one week to support the VNY 2020 Secretariat.
As part of promotional activities, the Nepal Government will be working with the Non-Resident Nepali (NRN) communities to get the VNY 2020 logo displayed across skyscrapers across the world.
Bhattarai informed that the international launch of VNY 2020 will happen in Nepali embassies and diplomacy missions globally, on January 07, 2020, and will also be promoted across international media outlets.
ALSO READ: 40 Countries’ Ministers to Attend Visit Nepal Year 2020 Inauguration Event
Preparations on Full Swing
The year-long campaign will begin with a formal inaugural to be done by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari followed by Prime Minister KP Oli’s special address to the nation.
All the promotional material for VNY 2020 will be available at the Tribhuvan International Airport for students, volunteers and migrant Nepali workers, who will further submit to their respective organizational heads.
Tourism ministers from around 40 nations are scheduled to attend the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign inaugural function.
“We have also invited popular celebrities and athletes to attend the inauguration ceremony,” adds Bhattarai.
Ishwar Raj Paudel, Director General of Department of Immigration, informed about their preparations to play promotional videos of VNY 2020 campaign within the flights 15 minutes ahead of their landing at TIA.
Related Article:
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]]>The post Visit Nepal Year 2020 Secretariat Website and News Portal Launched! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>Newly appointed Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Yogesh Bhattarai unveiled the website and news portal amidst a program.
The website www.visitnepal2020.com provides complete information on tourism in Nepal and the various dimensions of the country.
With the launch, both the VNY 2020 website and news portal www.visitnepalnews.gov.np came into operation with immediate effect.
The VNY 2020 social media accounts can be visited at the following addresses:
- Instagram – @visitnepalyear2020_official
- Facebook – @nepallifexperiences
- Linkedin – @visitnepal2020-secretariat
- Twitter – @vny2020official
Meanwhile, the Nepal Tourism Ministry’s decision to slash 50 percent of the airfare prices for Senior Citizens has come into effect from September 18, 2019.
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]]>The post Canadian City Buses Mobilized to Promote Visit Nepal 2020 Campaign appeared first on Nepali Sansar.
]]>The campaign was started by the NTB Honorary Representative Nar Bahadur Tondon in collaboration with different organizations across Canada and Nepal.
Mississauga Constituency Parliamentarian Deepak Anand inaugurated the program amidst the presence of Pancha Kanya (five virgin girls).
Speaking at the inaugural event, Anand urged Canadian tourists to visit Nepal as part of the VNY 2020 campaign.
Close to 10 buses running through Mississauga are featuring Nepal’s important tourism destinations, such as Mount Api Saipal, Badimalika, Khaptad area, Lumbini, Mount Everest, Pashupatinath Temple, Pokhara and the image of Nepal’s living goddess Kumari, informed Bimal Sapkota, a campaign supporter and Nepali resident in Canada.
Tondon said that the campaign will be extended to city buses in Brampton, the rest of Mississauga and Toronto and will run for two months.
Canada-Nepal Tourism Culture and Trade Forum, TPN Nepal, Going Nepal and Avenues Khabar Sudurpaschim State Bureau Office are some of the organizations that have supported Nepal Tourism Board to initiate the campaign.
Non-Resident Nepalis in Canada are also garnering support for the campaign. Tondon, himself, has invested more than NPR 1.6 million in the campaign.
Meanwhile, the Nepal Tourism Ministry has started a photo portal #photoNepal to promote Nepal as a popular tourist destination across the globe.
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