The history of human civilization begins when people who are left wandering, settle on one place and embark in agriculture, but human urge to wander has not halted. If the ancient people had not traveled and recorded their chronicles of their endeavors, we would have remained in a void. An old Arabic adage has it, traveling means success. These days people travel for different reasons amongst many, one is for business. Economic activities are in fact gist of human development; the perennial of modern world is cognate with trade and commerce. The great number of traveler consists of this class, these people travel far and wide making their ventures and doing the transactions.
And there are people who are determined to have flings. New Zealand has been termed as the best holiday destination, but France boasts highest number of visitors. In the modern world, travelers also consist of researchers and scholars. Many Nepali sophomores are going abroad for higher studies, however, the country also has become sanctum for students of theologies, religions, astrology, tantrism and ancient languages. Education has become a costly affair in the West, if it is vouched, Nepal can snuggle up students, as the cost here is relatively low. I have heard from an insider, Gurukul is trying to turn into a college of Theatre Studies, especially for residential foreign students.
More than five hundred thousand foreigners visited this country last year and hotels and flights are being booked up this year, says a news story recently. It's a prodding for people, as hundreds of thousand are besotted with tourism. NTB's slogan "Naturally Nepal" and punch line "once is not enough" are very sonorous, albeit, nothing concrete has been done to put Nepal in a natural state and there's no new package to visit again and again.
Tourism depends on government's policy and investment. It is too much apparent, better infrastructure is lacking, security is weak, air link tenuous. Failures to manage garbage, traffic congestion, and pollution are some of the problems Nepali cities are facing. How can they think Nepal can lure tourists to visit again with existing service? Kathmandu is a historical as well as cultural city, and this holds a punch line. Importantly, there is only perfunctory marketing and promotion. This is the world of propaganda but the Nepali government has been unable to plug the nation as palatable holiday destination.
Growth of travel industry is actually shaped up with the advent of people travelling to different places, which in fact is sustained, by growing number of travelers. There was a time when it was said, there are three 'isms' in Nepal - Hinduism, Buddhism and tourism. The former two were idealized to veer the later. In the agrarian country, tourism is judiciously a better option for achieving higher growth rates. Nepal is battling with mainly two things: modernizing by the means of industrializing and eradicating social malaise. The government is fighting in many fronts and it appears like a retreat.
Tourism will obviously yank up from the marsh, but lots of things need attention. Himalayas have become too archaic, though they still count No.1 reason to visit the country. The government cannot be very commercial risking its populace due to ecological and environmental damage, some piquant ideas must be mustered up. Last year's figure of tourist arrival is encouraging but importantly, how much they spend, how long they stay, what they buy, are also indispensable. One thing I found outlandish is letting the foreigners roam everywhere. Is it not a shame to let them flit from Mechi to Mahakali, Himalayans to Tarai and hear them say: Oh! What a sight of poverty. Many people in the West think poor are to be commiserated and poverty is disgusting. To them, there is poverty because people are lazy. Lives of common people will only be their picaresque experience.
Let's think something different: why don't we attract all those retired people who might stay for six months or a year and more, which would be relatively cheap for them than in their country? Or, how about centers for Yoga, meditation and naturopathy? We hear about village tourism, why not a kind of resort where there will be Nepali kind of animal husbandry, orchards and farming, where people will eat organic and enjoy the life that's said to be thousand years old. What about retreat centers for special kind of people like writers, painters in the places like Mugu and Dolpo. I'm little scared as it might be controversial but I want Narayanhiti to be opened for Nepali-monarch-type-night-stay to the foreigners charging exorbitantly.
Think about all those obscenely rich people, crazy people, and market the products to them. Soaring tourist arrivals is not important, but their worth must be taken into consideration. They have to spend handsomely in Nepal, the amenities must also to be better, however.