Tourism Trends In Nepal

Nepal, schlepping its sacrosanct thumbprint, raw authenticity, and natural mystical aura, has managed to draw a fair share of globetrotters from the nooks and crannies around the world. With eight out of the ten highest mountains in the world under its belt, tourism is dubbed the 4th largest industry in Nepal, mainly being the source of foreign currency. It's the expression of humans' innate nature to remain hopscotching from one spot to another in the allure of recharging oneself and shunning away the worn-out layers of anxiety and stress. According to data from the Nepal Tourism Board, airlines, hotels, car-bike rentals, and other travel intermediaries serve as key indicators of tourism footfall in Nepal. In the first six months of 2023, Nepal welcomed a total of 476,480 foreign tourists by air. Other than the hiccups experienced due to earthquakes and adverse situations created by the pandemic, tourism in Nepal has seen steady growth, and the number of tourist footfalls has swelled in Nepal.

Nepal is the place that provides solace, mental peace, calmness, and adventure to myriads of tourists escaping the humdrum of chaotic life. It’s a heaven for mountaineers, rock climbers, and adventure seekers. Buddhism predominates in the higher elevations of the mountain region, while Hinduism predominates in the lower elevations. 

It is the innate nature of humans to seek their version of ultimate bliss, or rather, a medium to escape the sharp-bladed reality of mundane life. Nepal has still managed to preserve and maintain the natural ambience of its locations. Blessed by the benevolence of Mother Nature, those locations perch far away from the reach of a common man running a rat race of 9–5 jobs. Nepal has always been a favourite spot since the early 1950s for everyone seeking a tete-a-tete with cosmic divinity in the form of pristine locations. Humans always had that genuine hankering to form an intimate rapport with nature, but the terminology for narrowing down such ventures changed with the flow of time. After the aftermath of the pandemic, Nepal's tourism industry has seen a formidable resurrection since June 2022. 

The bitter days of the pandemic left people in general with some eye-opening reality, and perhaps such notions rubbed into the psyches of wanderlust revellers of inviting more of nature into their lives and came up with the common trends that virtually narrow down humans' proximity to nature. The prevalent tourism trends in the world that are popular this year and might see their popularity soar even next year are hyperlocal travel, milestone travel, sustainable tourism, culinary tourism, wellness retreats, and technology integration. This article describes the so-called new trend on the block, which particularly resonates with Nepal. 

Digital nomad

The digital nomad phenomenon is the amalgamation of technology with free will embedded within a traveller. Harbouring an almost romantic ideology, a digital nomad roams around with his heart's content, akin to the nomads of the bygone era. 

The only major difference is that the modern-day digital nomad allows a chord of connections with the real world, having the luxury of keeping nature in very close proximity. It’s a brilliant way of escaping the chaotic rush of mundane life and keeping a close bond with nature while pursuing their professional pursuits as well. It's immensely popular among freelancers or the self-employed.

Transformative travel

It especially caters to those who have chosen to seek such a form of travel that caters to self-love, wellness travel, etc. It's more like seeking refuge in the arms of Mother Nature. Thus, transformative travel is tailored to provide yoga classes, retreats, rejuvenation, self-reflection, being open to learning about the natural surroundings of the places, remaining open to understanding the local mindset, and conjures to create a meaningful relationship with local people. 

Remain more focused on consuming locally or organically grown food, shunning the non-vegetarian diet for more soothing palates. 

And has a keen interest in forging a close rapport with the local community, fostering a deeper connection with the culture and heritage of our country.

Staycation

Staycation is yet another emerging trend that has suddenly made its presence felt on the landscape of tourism. It’s a notion that caters to the idea of 'Taking a holiday in one's home country rather than abroad or at home with day trips to local attractions. Lukla, Namche, Chandragiri, Pulchoki, etc. can be some of the locations for such endeavours.

Holistic travel

Holistic travel is dedicated to appreciating and incorporating aspects of holistic health, i.e., physical, mental, social, emotional, intellectual, vocational, and environmental health. A truly therapeutic approach, holistic travel isn’t necessarily only about yoga practice; it can be attaining fitness, training in the mountains, hearing the conversations of birds, and hearing the soft murmurs of the winds. Holistic travel experiences are a junction to heal from mental, spiritual, and physical stress. It caters more to the ideology of thinking locally and tweaking.

Business leisure

Business leisure travel, or rather 'leisure' or 'blended travel', 'bizcation' or 'workstation', is a fusioned form of travelling on the company's own, enjoying the perks of personal travel. Leisure is considered to be essentially included in travel, which saves on airfares, hotel rooms, car rentals, and food as the company will pay for them while they travel.

Mustang bike tours

It’s a tete-a-tete with the Annapurna Himalayan Zone and the mystical Mustang Valley, which was opened up for tourists back in 2016, and it’s an adventure worth a lifetime venturing beyond the final frontier—the last forbidden kingdom of Nepal.  The bike tour scoots around the magnificent Mt. Dhaulagiri (8167 metres) and Mt. Annapurna (891 metres), travelling along the nomads’ land, passing through the Mustang King's palace and Gompa's, riding through the trans-Himalayan zone, and basking under the infinite blue azure with hearts. 

(The author is a writer and holds a PhD in travel and tourism in Nepal.)