Lifting Tourism

Britti Aryal

Nepal is one of the popular travel destinations. For people who value an experience that is authentic, heartwarming, and mesmerising, the country has turned into an ideal hotspot. The majestic snow-capped mountains, lush jungles, and beautiful heritage sites have drawn visitors from around the world. Exciting trekking routes with icy peaks and scenic lakes have been the main attractions for people who value and love to enjoy nature.  

Into the bargain, for those who love adventure travel, Nepal offers endless options, including bungee jumping, paragliding, sky cycling, mountain biking, rock climbing, canyoning, jungle safari, ice-climbing, and many more activities. Nepal has truly been a traveller’s paradise. With this, the number of tourists visiting the nation has also increased. The date published by Nepal Tourism Board shows that around 600,000 tourists visited Nepal in 2022. This shows that we have the potential to be a eulogised touristic destination. 

The tourism industry is one of the quickest ways to balance the country's economic status. Yet, knowing this fact the country hasn’t been able to grab the opportunities and take the benefits. We are not ready to make the country a global tourist attraction. Welcoming tourists has really been a challenge for the country. Nepal has to work out a lot to achieve the tourism target. Starting with the hindrances in the development of the tourism industry, the problem of dust, dirt, and mismanagement of roads has been a major issue for alluring new tourists and getting the previous visitors to return back again.

 Roads leading to various historical sites, monuments, and centres of attraction await expansion and construction for a very long time. Years have passed but the condition of roads is pretty much the same with the potholes which are creating difficulty in the movement of visitant. Traffic jam on highways and cities has created a big mess for visitors on their travel. Foreigners are more interested to observe our rural life. But such areas are still undeveloped with no basic facilities at all.

Proper transportation is fundamental to tourism promotion and compared to other transportation airways have become excellent means at the moment to welcome tourists. But, the quality of our air service is at its worst. Yet, government and aviation authorities aren’t treating it with urgency it deserves. It is much necessary to improve aviation service and raise the standard of our airports. Making visitors feel safe has been a major concern. So, creating a tourist hub in between the touristic routes might be a perfect solution. This will provide them with easy access to locations, maps, security checking, and other emergency services.

Also, providing standard food and good accommodation as per their needs helps to boost tourism. We lack promotion as well. Covering the country and featuring its beauty on different social media platforms helps to increase our reach over the world. In addition, creating banners and different kinds of handicrafts reflecting our heritages, cultural sites, and nature not just helps to increase our sales in the international market but shows our arts and skills which may inspire visitors to come and visit again. Sustainable plans need to be created to promote tourism.

The arrival of tourists is gradually returning to its rhythm after some years and this is a golden opportunity for us to bring back the economic balance. Therefore, the government should try all the initiatives to upgrade the tourism industry sorting out all the problems that are creating impediments in the tourism sector