Dixya Poudel

If you visit Lakeside in Pokhara, you will find the streets clean, the shops in attractive decor and the people quite hospitable. The shops in Lakeside sell beautiful art and artefacts while the restaurants offer a variety of cuisines. The traffic is less congested too and some parts of Lakeside are allocated only for pedestrians. The Fewa Lake glimmers in the sunlight and visitors will find it all quite serene. Overall, the attraction of Lakeside lies not just in awe inspiring views but also in the hospitable people and the orderliness and affluence of the flourishing vicinity. What is the reason behind the economy of Lakeside? The answer is in thriving tourism.

Pokhara is certainly a famous tourist's destination and Lakeside is one of its major attractions. During the past few decades, Nepal has seen a major flow in both national and international tourists. Thanks to successful tourism, the local people happily maintain cleanliness and decor as seen in Lakeside. As such, tourism boosts economy, leads to greater opportunities and encourages the locals to invest in and maintain local businesses. Locals further feel a responsibility to develop, manage and take care of the locality since it is the source of their income. Meanwhile, tourists visit in droves in the renowned sites. It is really a win-win situation.

Tourism is a significant source to increase foreign exchange and revenue. Overall the tourism industry employs 371,140 people in Nepal. It represents 11.5 per cent of total people in all industries within the nation. Tourism is thus the fourth largest industry in Nepal. However, Nepal is currently struggling to revive its economy after the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. To curb the rate of transmission of the virus, the flow of tourists had to be limited.

It was all quite grim for the tourism industry except for the fact that the domestic tourism survived, more or less. Now that the pandemic seems to be abating nationwide, domestic tourism has picked up a pace. And foreigners can be seen milling about the major tourists sites in the nation, albeit in fewer numbers. There is no refuting the scope of influence that tourism has on economy, especially in a developing nation such as Nepal. What can be done to further highlight Nepal on the world map? Innovative incentives, marketing, publicity and advertising are vital to place the nation as a major tourist's destination globally.

Travel agencies can offer low priced tickets, hotels can offer discounts and local people can further extend their hospitality to visitors. When it comes to tourism, it is a complex network of travel agencies, hotels, lounges and restaurants, vendors, sellers and businesses that rely on the flow of tourists. Smart policies by the government as well as the private sector can ensure the increase in visitors, both national and international.

Now that the nation is gradually opening tourism, Nepali community is looking forward to welcoming visitors. As more and more citizens are vaccinating, it could ensure a safe travel experience. In an age of capitalism, employment is a primary factor to survival and there is a significant portion of people employed on the tourism industry for their livelihood. Since Nepal relies heavily on tourism, it is important to ensure that the nation remains a viable, accessible and welcoming destination.