What is Visit Nepal 2020?
Welcome visitors to celebrate the year 2020 which is chosen as the national tourism year of Nepal after the year 2011 which was the primary authority tourism year of the new Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. The government and tourism department of Nepal authoritatively reported that Nepal will take the year 2020 as “Visit Nepal 2020”, a year committed to tourism industry of Nepal with vision of making a reasonable brand picture of Nepal as travel and vacationer destination, backing up the tourism foundations of Nepal, enhance the growth of tourism industry, and enhance local tourism as supportable industry. The legislature has wanted to accommodate more than one million visitors amid the year of “Visit Nepal 2020”.
The government has formally initiated the open connection program for Visit Nepal Year 2020 for the arrangements and approach starting from the year 2016/2017 to reinforce and give a decent foundation for the year 2020. Visit Nepal 2020 will concentrate on Nepal to be one of the best travel/visit destinations of the world. A portion of the real travel activities highlighted amid Visit Nepal 2020 are trekking, climbing, rafting, paragliding, mountain biking, wilderness safari, bird watching, touring, social-cultural exchange e.t.c. The travelers will visit the popular traveler destinations of Nepal in affordable, easy, accessible and comfortable stay amid Visit Nepal 2020. The “Visit Nepal 2020” is an opportunity for any traveler both domestic and international to grab the special discounted prices and offer and enjoy the comfortable, secure, affordable travel experience during this national festival.
The Year 2020 Planned as “Nepal Visit Year”
It is of no surprise that Nepal is often considered one of the best places for travel. It has amazing Himalayan beauty, exotic multicultural aspects and natural beauty to match. Visitors from all parts of the world come to Nepal by the thousands every year, especially for trekking. As such, the tourism sector of Nepal has a lot of potential for growth and expansion.
Acting on this agenda, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has planned to organize ‘Visit Nepal Year’ in 2020 to attract more tourists to the country. The government has set a target to bring in two million tourists each year by the targeted year. According to Tourism Minister Jitendra Narayan Dev, a secretariat for the Visit Nepal Year will be established shortly to make necessary preparations.
Although the MoCTCA had planned to celebrate Visit Nepal Year in 2018, it was put off due to the delay in the construction of airports, heritage sites, and roads. The 60-day action plan of the Nepal Visit Year unveils that due priority will be given to the early completion of the construction and expansion of the international and domestic airports, heritage sites and other tourism infrastructure in the country. The government has planned to complete the expansion of Tribhuwan International Airport and the construction of Gautama Buddha Airport in Bhairahawa before 2020, along with the reconstruction of major heritage sites. The ministry will initiate the process to bring a strategic partner for Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) — the national flag carrier. It also plans to take forward NAC’s proposal to purchase two more narrow-body aircraft.
Furthermore, the 60-day plan will also frame country-wise tourism promotion strategy and its implementation- an effort that will help the tourism promotion organizations to carry out promotional activities to tap potential outbound travelers of concerned countries. Currently, India, China, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka are the major countries of tourists’ sources.
Likewise, the country-wise tourism promotion strategy is set to tap the outbound travelers of the neighboring nations to Nepal in the context of a rising number of outbound travelers in India and China. Identifying the reasons behind low growth in tourist arrivals, Nepal will then take necessary measures to attract more tourists in the country, according to Minister Dev. He also further said that the air service agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and New Zealand will soon be finalized. The action plan also states that MoCTCA will review the air service agreements with Thailand, Japan, Egypt, and China among others.
The action plan also includes plans to amend the Tourism Act, with the vision of making it more contextual. It also aims to amend the Casino Regulation, the Travel and Trekking Regulation, and the Mountaineering Expedition Regulation.
Similarly, Tourism Minister Dev has envisioned upgrading the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management to a Tourism University with the aim of narrowing the gap between human resources in tourism. To establish the Tourism University, the MoCTCA will carry out necessary groundwork like framing the draft law and land acquisition for the university among others. In like manner, a survey will also be carried out by MoCTCA to expand the line agencies of the ministry and the departments to the provincial and local levels. It will also frame a master plan for the preservation of tourist sites. The Tourism Act is set to bring an approximation of about 2 million tourists to Nepal.
MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS OF "VISIT NEPAL 2020"
Newly Discovered High Altitude Lake
Nepal, as the home of Himalayas already harbors several tallest mountains in the world and those very mountains have formed several high altitude lakes, often referred to as Himalayan Lakes. Tilicho, Gosaikunda, Shey Phuksundo, and Panch Pokhari already attract a huge influx of trekkers and travelers for their glaring beauty amid the snow-capped mountains is undeniable.
However, recently, a new lake has been discovered in impressively high altitude elevation at 5,200 meters in Chame Rural Municipality, Manang.
According to the representative of the municipality, some animal herders in the area said they had reached the lake, and as soon as they knew this, they made an immediate plan to see it for themselves.
A total team member of 29 including officials and security agencies embarked towards the lake on July 21, following the lead of Bhairu Gurung, a 22-year-old local shepherd known to the lake’s location.
And indeed, the lake was there, located in the most exquisite setting offering the view of an array of mountains. Although the lake is named “Kajin Sara” on Google Maps, locals call it Singar Lake.
It lies in Annapurna Himalayan Range, east of Lamjung Himal and north-east to Singar Himal, towards the southwest of Chame, which falls en route Annapurna Circuit.
This new discovery has certainly fluttered the interest of trekkers in Nepal; however, it is yet to be scientifically verified. By 2020, the lake is bound to be one of the trekkers' destinations as it is only 24 km away from Chame.
And indeed, the lake was there, located in the most exquisite setting offering the view of an array of mountains. Although the lake is named “Kajin Sara” on Google Maps, locals call it Singar Lake.
Another International Airport
It is a matter of shame to say that the only international airport of Nepal looks no less a jam in the subway. The negligence of Nepal’s Government has caused and create enough hurdles for air-travelers. Landing in Nepal, if the first thing you see is an unmanaged horde of people and mess of everything; well, no doubt the expectation drops.
So, to put a relief to visitors and as an act of endeavor towards Visit Nepal 2020, Nepal Government is in the process of upgrading Gautam Buddha Airport (Bhairawaha Airport) into an international airport.
The condition of existing Tribhuwan International Airport is quite saddening; it faces severe traffic congestion, and it is running out of its maximum capacity. After the establishment of this second international airport in Nepal, we can certainly hope all the visitors can at some level of ease.
Sustainable Tourism
The stream of modern tourism started flowing in Nepal only after 1951 when Nepal finally opened its gates to foreigners. Since then, Nepal has witnessed a drastic change in the tourism sector. And talking about ecotourism, conservation activities begin in Nepal during the early 1970s with the establishment of Chitwan National Park and other conservation zones. However, ecotourism activities started only after the inception of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) in 1986.
In a manner of speaking, Nepal is a cluster of villages and small communities nestled from extremely high altitudes to the jungles of Terai, and with regard to this very fact, Visit Nepal 2020 is all about sustainable tourism from community-run program to wildlife conservation sites.
Annapurna, Sagarmatha and Langtang region; the three highly concentrated trekking region of Nepal, is the largest ecotourist receiving zone in Himalaya region. Family-run teahouses and homestay, community-operated protected zones, local guides and porter and goods produced using local means and resources are attempts towards sustainable tourism.
Likewise, other ecotourism sites include Chitwan, Bardia, Koshi Tappu, Upper Mustang, Simikot, Manalsu, Kanchenjunga and Ghalegaon, and it is gradually spreading over other parts of the country.
To stay in one of the family-operated homestays, being a part of their family and closely witnessing Nepali culture and tradition is far more rewarding, adventurous, and influential.
Annapurna, Sagarmatha and Langtang region; the three highly concentrated trekking region of Nepal, is the largest ecotourist receiving zone in Himalaya region. Family-run teahouses and homestay, community-operated protected zones, local guides and porter and goods produced using local means and resources are attempts towards sustainable tourism.
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