I am here at a good time. The nation has gone through a major transition and there is new optimism and hope. We have been doing excellently compared to previous years. Our hotel currently has a 50 to 60 percent occupancy, and our average room rate is also much better than last year. But I think we (the tourism industry) can do much more, and everyone is ready for this. I came here in January; and now in June, I have found the people here have become much more motivated and they want to do lots in tourism.

What changes do you think need to be done?

First of all, Nepal is known as one of the cheapest destinations in the world. We should change that into a destination with value. Because of the conflict that Nepal went through, the room rates of five-star hotels have stayed at around US$ 40. Now we are changing that, and pretty soon it will average above US$ 70. Our main challenge now is the number of flights. We need much more. A lot of flights have been added lately, but the size and volume has not improved. So even though many tourists want to come to Nepal, arrival figures won't be much different as only a limited number of passengers will be able to get seats. We need more airlines. We also need a direct link to Europe.

India used to be a big market for Nepal. But lately, that has changed. What do you think is the reason behind the number of Indian tourists coming down like this?

We have been seeing a consistent decline in the number of Indian tourists for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons is the change in the Indian government's policy towards imports, which in turn diluted Nepal's image as a shopping center. Indians used to come to Nepal mostly to buy foreign goods. I knew people who came to Nepal and bought branded shoes and such other goods and then sold them back in India at three or four times what they paid for them here. Others came here just to buy for themselves. But now the shopping craze is gone. You get foreign goods easily in India, and now even Nepalis are going to India to shop.

Another reason is confusing headlines in Indian papers. For example, there were front-page headlines which said "Maoists kill 26 people", so Indians think Nepal is not safe. But in reality, it was the Indian Maoists who did that. And again, a major problem is the number of flights. Indians do not plan their visits to Nepal, most are impulsive travelers. For example, a group of friends start planning a visit near the weekend. "So let's go to Nepal," they might say. Then they call up the airlines and find out that there is no way that they will get a seat because they've been booked weeks in advance. So finally they give up the idea of Nepal, and go visit the outskirts or some place in India. Mumbai and Bangalore are two huge markets. But the direct flights from those places have all been cancelled.

Is the hotel making any efforts to promote itself?

After the tourism industry went into a tailspin, we stopped attending international tourism events. But with the rebound in tourism, we have begun attending different global tourism programs to sell our hotel and products, thereby promoting the entire tourism industry. Besides, we just opened an office in New Delhi to penetrate the Indian market in a more effective way. Another task that we are going to execute is increase the tariff, thereby increasing quality and business. Just recently, we introduced a package for domestic tourists, sensing a huge potential. Many think five-star hotels are too expensive and beyond their purchasing capacity, but our packages have proven this notion wrong. We are expecting a huge influx of domestic tourists. 

What do you suggest the government should do to advance tourism?

I would suggest to the government to set up tourist booths in vital places in the country. The moment a tourist arrives there, he should get all the information he needs. In addition, we must soon declare Visit Nepal Year, which is very important. The event will create a buzz about the Nepali tourism industry in the eyes and minds of aspirant travelers. The coming days should be very exciting and a boom time for the Nepali tourism sector. I expect tourist arrivals will reach the one million mark soon, as there is a lot of interest among foreigners to come here.

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