Reinvigorating Chitwan’s Tourism

It needs no reiteration that tourism is one of the main sources of foreign exchange earnings and job creation for many poor and developing nations. Despite being a susceptible sector, tourism is considered as the world’s fastest-growing industry. With its unequaled tourism resources ranging from topographical diversity coupled with climatic multiplicity to cultural richness, Nepal has immense prospects for tourism promotion. This sector can be an important means of economic development. Successive governments seem to have given high priority to this multidimensional sector. The nation has spent much on creating tourism-related infrastructures such as roads and airports while the private sector has invested a lot in tourism businesses. However, the country still has a long way to go when it comes to capitalising on its abundant tourism resources. 

Although no detailed study has so far been conducted to measure the actual contribution of the tourism industry to the gross domestic product (GDP), this ‘smokeless industry’ has remained a mainstay of the national economy. Tourism’s contribution to the country’s GDP is believed to stand at 6.7 per cent while it contributes 6.9 per cent to the employment sector. This figure fluctuates with the number of tourist arrivals. Tourism also directly or indirectly supports numerous other sectors. So, it helps keep the national economy running. 

Worthwhile step

It is notable that local governments have also started realising the need to explore tourism potentials and highlight them at national and international levels in order to entice more tourists. The Bharatpur Metropolitan City in Chitwan has taken a worthwhile step to position Bharatpur as an appealing destination for tourists from home and abroad. On March 1, the much-awaited Bharatpur Visit Year 2024 was launched amidst a special ceremony organised on the bank of the Narayani River. The event is being organised with the slogan of ‘Visit Bharatpur’. In fact, the local government had planned to mark the year 2080 B.S. as Bharatpur Visit Year. But it could not introduce the campaign due to delay in completing the maintenance work of the main highway connecting Bharatpur. 

Through this tourism campaign, the metropolis aims to attract 200,000 foreign travellers and 500,000 domestic visitors during the eventful year and beyond. In 2023, Chitwan welcomed about 190,500 visitors. This initiative must have inspired all tourism entrepreneurs and other stakeholders. It is necessary for other local governments as well to follow suit. If the campaign runs in a smooth manner, it may become successful in reinvigorating Chitwan’s tourism. With this event, the local government also plans to lengthen the stay of tourists in Chitwan. The tourism scheme is expected to be instrumental in exploring economic potentials of Bharatpur and creating an investment-friendly environment there. Other major destinations like Kathmandu, Lumbini and Pokhara will also have more tourists when Chitwan sees additional tourism activities. 

Because of the Chitwan National Park (CNP), Chitwan has been a leading tourist destination in the country. Established in 1973, CNP is the first national park in Nepal. Chitwan had started to be in the global spotlight internationally with the opening of Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge inside CNP since the early 1960s.  The lodge played an important role in attracting high-end tourists into Nepal from around the world. The lodge was initiated as a hunting lodge. That facility deserves the credit for the initiation of sustainable quality tourism. With the passage of time, some more resorts were opened inside CPN. But the then government decided to remove Tiger Tops and other lodges from the park about one and a half decades ago, blaming them for causing ecological degradation. With that misstep, Chitwan’s tourism has suffered a great setback. 

Despite this, Chitwan has witnessed many new hotels and resorts over the years.  Currently, hotels and lodges in Chitwan and Gaindakot have a capacity to accommodate more than 15,000 per night. During the Bharatpur Visit Year, the local hotels, lodges and restaurants offer discounts in order to attract more visitors. With its unique wildlife and cultural attractions, Chitwan host more tourists from around the world. Since CNP is the nearest wildlife tourist destination for Indians, Sauraha and other entry points of the national park have continued to record more Indian visitors each year. 

The metropolis has joined hands with various agencies, including the private sector, to organise this event. It is working to promote as many as 50 various tourist spots located in different parts of Chitwan. During the period, a myriad of tourist destinations from Sauraha in Ratnanagar Municipality to Someshwar Gadhi in Madi Municipality, Parewakot in Rapti, Sinte Waterfall in Kalika, Maulakalika in Gaindakot, Siraichuli in Ichchhakamana, among others, are being promoted. Apart from experiencing wildlife safari and bird watching, visitors to Chitwan can enjoy culture and lifestyles of different communities like Tharus and Chepangs. They also get an opportunity to visit various pilgrimage sites such as Devghat. With the diversification of tourism, the stay of tourists will be lengthened. Besides, tourists’ per day spending will also go up. The event is also sure to contribute towards building up necessary tourism infrastructure in the district. When better tourism infrastructures are built in a destination, more tourists will visit there.  

Education, health tourism

With the availability of numerous higher education institutes, including the Agriculture and Forestry University, and hospitals, Bharatpur has emerged as a hub for education and health services. Because of these facilities, Bharatpur and its adjoining areas have turned out to be a destination for education and health tourism. The construction of an international-level cricket stadium in Bharatpur has also paved the way for the promotion of sports tourism there. 

The presence of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and top leaders of the major political parties in the opening ceremony of the Bharatpur Visit Year 2024 hints at their strong support for the year-round tourism event. They reiterated their commitment to extending necessary help to the local government for making the event a success. It is high time that they sought India’s immediate support for running the Gautam Buddha International Airport and Pokhara International Airport in a full swing.  

(The author is a former deputy executive editor of this daily.)