Kumari Rath Jatra -2011

KUMARI literally meaning the virgin represents a strong symbol of power and culture enslaved in the rich colors of festivity which manifests a variation of tradition in the form of goddess as a KUMARI. Kumari is believed to be the bodily incarnation of the goddess Taleju Bhawani (Shakti) where the image highlights a great presence and acceptance among the scattered communities and people. The ideology of veneration of Kumari as the living goddess dates back to centauries which to this day glorify the rich tradition in fulfilling the centuries old practice of KUMARI.

http://nepaltourismyear2011ad.blogspot.com/2009/09/kumari-tradition-of-living-goddess.html

THE KUMARI -LIVING GODDESS -September 2011

THE KUMARI -LIVING GODDESS -September 2011

Activities of Nepal Tourism Year 2011

Excitement at its best – White Water Rafting: Full with excitement and exhilaration, White Water Rafting of Nepal is accustomed to the real adventure of what Nepal has to offer. Swiftly flowing within the tantalizing music, the river seems stalled where the river comes alive with a raging attitude to an aggressive twist and turns. Fear takes a new form of excitement creating an enthusiasm to testify your will where no one can keep up with the adrenal rush.

Divine to the sight, the natural raw terrain and unexploited greenery adds satisfaction to the eyes. Located 3 to 4 hrs drive, from Kathmandu, Bhote Koshi and Trishuli are the most common white water rivers which caters the rafters within their dwelling interest. Both rivers are unique experiences as Bhote Koshi emerges from the Glaciers in sharp and cold water where as Trishuli is highly recommended in the monsoon season for its challenging and exciting experience.

Feel the raw power of nature to rejuvenate the essence of life, live it to tell your stories- White Water Rafting …

An experience of the life time, white water rafting is an excitement for an adventure enthusiast. Rafting down the roaring Himalayan Rivers provide scenic views and a hand to hand chance to explore the hidden geographical mysteries. Likewise, passing by the big rapids and facing waves arouses the sense of emancipation where fear and excitement melts down and the splash of cold water rejuvenates you. Located near the valley, Bhote Koshi and Trishuli are the most popular whitewater rivers that offer an exquisite experience of rapids and whirlpool, which can be easily, accessed 24/7 from Kathmandu.

Dare to challenge the nature, come face it at its best form with an exciting taste of adrenaline -White Water Rafting …………………

The White Mountain –Dhaulagiri and its range: Shining and stretching out endlessly in daunting rocky gorges and blazing forest of rhododendron, Dhaulagiri is a spectacular amalgamation of rocky terrain, inspiring wilderness and hospitable culture. Known for its name, The White Mountain, Dhaulagiri is the 7th largest peak in the world where it challenges and entices its visitors with a concoction of breath taking views and dramatic contrast.

The trek starts from Baglung the west side of tropical Pokhara valley and finds its way to the steep and sloppy terrain that highlights the world deepest Kali Gandaki Gorge and the hidden land of Dolpo. Passing by the Dhampus and French Pass offers spectacular views of the Dhaulagiri range as it swiftly diverts your attention from the painstaking isolated terrains to the exploration of the meditational mountains.

The Dhaulagiri trek is a challenging trek, which rewards, its audience with the opportunity to camp on the Magdi Glacier. Best seasons recommended are spring and winter where transportations are readily available from Pokhara and Kathmandu.

It’s a nirvana for trekking enthusiasts who interest and believe in their passion to defy human limitation-The White Mountain

Challenging and conditioning your will and zeal, Dhaulagiri is definitely a trekker’s paradise. Located in the tropical bliss of Pokhara, Dhaulagiri range offers spectacular views of majestic Himalayan peaks, gorges, glacier and White Water Rivers. Ranked as the seventh highest mountain in the world, Dhaulagiri stands tall with the pristine image of beauty and rawness. Highlighting the vast rocky and icy massif in the northwest showcases the hidden land of Dolpo which makes it the ultimate trekking destination.

Transportation and services can be easily managed from Kathmandu and Pokhara.

Come challenge your limits to face the ultimate – Be an Adventurer

A Pleasure of Watching: Ranging from the lowlands jungle of Terrai to the high end peaks of Himalayas, Nepal is blessed with an exceptionally 850 varieties of bird species that highlights 8 % of the world’s total birds population. In the valley alone, over 500 species of birds have been found where the wetlands and open fields create a feasible habitat that attracts to them to be sighted here. Phulchoki hill, Godavari, Nagarjun, Bagmati & Manohara River, Taudaha, Shivapuri, Nagarjun,etc are some of the most common sites reachable within the valley whereas Koshi Barrage Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Chitwan National Park etc are located outside the valley. Some of the common birds found here are Wood peckers, Babblers, Hornbills, Owls, Nightjars, Pipits ducks, Egrets, Herons eagles, Fly catchers etc. From the dawn to the dusk these bird enthusiasts keep a watch on the specific species understanding their behavior and life style where patience and time is just the matter of hours and days. For details on bird watching please contact the near tour operators or any Bird Watching Society.

Splurge yourself to the enthusiasm of being patience in the music and softness of these beautiful creatures - Be a watcher to explore the rarest…………..

Nepal is a sanctuary of unique and rare species of birds. Diverse topography and climate has resulted in a vast array of exceptional bird life throughout Nepal. Seemingly a tropic paradise of natural beauty and climate, Nepal orchestrates a variety of bird ranging from different size, shape and colors. Kathmandu valley alone has recorded more than 500 different species of birds. For details on bird watching please contact the near tours operator or any Bird Watching Society.

A bird paradise for its uniqueness, Nepal stands as a prominent destination and offers an enchanting experience to witness nature’s most wonderful creation -Be a watcher to know more …..

By Shreedeep Rayamajhi

Opportunities and Challenges of Nepal Tourism Year 2011

Nepal tourism year 2011 was recently launched with the motive to bring about 1 Million Tourists to Nepal in the year 2011. It’s a three year program launched with the purpose of this program is to promote the tourism sector of Nepal internationally highlighting the Nepalese art, culture, bio-diversity and stakeholder business through E-marketing globally are other vital objectives of this project. Its viability lies within the marketing options and efforts that are available where the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) and the private sectors need to coordinates in an effectively and efficiently.

Opportunities of NTY 2011:

1. Development of rural areas
2. Development of infrastructure(Proper roads, electricity, water supply, hospitals, communication etc)
3. Development of economic status of people
4. Opportunity of Proper research and development of tourism product
5. Increases employment opportunities
6. Increases the chance of better investment options and opportunities

Challenges of NTY 2011

1. Lack of international Airport
2. Growing Cut throat competition
3. Lack of proper infrastructure and resources
4. Lack of qualitative human resource
5. Destination getting expensive due to service charge and VAT
6. Lack of proper Training centers
7. Lack proper monitoring mechanism for tourism field and tourists
8. Increase of online fraud cases
9. Risk of sex tourism and prostitution
10. Political instability and chaos making the destination unpopular

How to tackle the problem?

1. As the market is growing and competition is also taking its toll. Tourism is the most sustainable business which runs on local resources and facilities where the possibilities of development and growth are immense. With the advent of technology and cyber space the world has become a smaller place where people very interested and willing to know about what’s happening around the world. Nepal is in currently going through a transitional phase and with the mal practice of political activities like protest and agitation, the image of Nepal is getting ruined. And due to the unstable condition a lot of countries have banned and restricted their citizens from travelling to Nepal which need to be countered. Most of the times situation are exaggerated so there should be firm mechanism to deal with the problem from Nepal’s side.

2. Apart from that the lack of government monitoring has resulted in a vacuum where every day tourists are being exploited physically, sexually and mentally in different parts of the tourist hubs. We need strong mechanism to tackle this problem as only a limited handful numbers of tourist police personnel cannot handle the situation. A good mechanism should be created to tackle the problem where every tourists coming in Nepal should feel safe and sound.

3. Lack of effective web marketing tools, the NTB is still limited in marketing the NTY2011 program with orthodox marketing techniques of travel fairs promotion and limited web profile system which need to be adapted with a more dynamic marketing tools like Search engine optimization, aggressive social network marketing, effective documentaries and previews in international travel channels, etc

4. Though we have declared the NTY 2011 and its target now what’s important is their management and handling. We need to think about their accommodations and services as specially in the peak season when there are very limited no of tourists all tourism hub are seen tight, on contrary here we are talking about 1 million tourist thought as a whole 1 million won’t come but the target is completely double the normal range so double the accommodation need to be managed where the policy maker seemed silent. This area needs to be properly identified and worked on.

By Shreedeep Rayamajhi

Marketing plan for NTY2011

Nepal is a well-known tourism and holiday destination. It is famous for its natural scenery, unmatched cultural diversity, hospitality, unique lifestyles and beliefs, art, unparalleled scenic views, art and craftsmanship, magnificent world famous mountains and other numerous specialties. Undoubtedly, Nepal certainly is blessed with natural resources and has the prospects of further tourism development. Recently on February 26, 2010, the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) in association of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) launched the “Nepal Tourism Year 2011(NTY2011)” campaign. It is a three years program purposely started to

promote the tourism sector of Nepal which targets to bring at least one million international tourists in Nepal by the year 2011 and create better opportunities of employment and revenue generation. Basically, the concept of the NTY 2011 is to capture the scattered opportunity among the different available resources. For this the MoTCA has entrusted its technical feasibility to the NTB, a Public Private Partnership organization established with the main aim of tourism promotion in Nepal. During the official launch, the program was actively participated by major political parties, and all the participants of the programs including members of the Constitution Assembly, entrepreneurs, journalists and others showed their solidarity to support the program by every means possible. Likewise, highlighting the NTY20111 program the government has already proposed the construction of a new international airport in Bara and upgrade and facilitates in the current airports. In addition, Ministry is searching for new trekking routes and looking to invest on proper infrastructure development. The Nepal Tourism Year 2011, Marketing Action Plan (MAP) should incorporate the following policy guidelines.

Marketing Objectives

1. “Quality Destination” brand must be developed with the quality factors of

simple, convenient and safe, and should highlight its uniqueness.

2. Focus on achieving economic growth by:

• Retaining market share
• Expanding into new markets
• Highlighting value for money. This is one of Nepal’s keydestination strengths and a key marketing attribute.
• Highlighting Nepal’s vast range of quality product and services that offer tremendous value for money, especially luxury products and services and activities that enhance the value perception of the destination
• Enhancing the capabilities of NTB’s strategic partners to generate increase in tourism revenue.
• Domestic tourism also hold a huge part of tourism so it should also be focused and well targeted

3. Use effective tool of famous land mark to highlight issue like global warming and pollution in a widespread international awareness in the key markets with proper themes and marketing strategy

International Marketing – Promotion Quality Tourism

The marketing plan should focus on ‘quality’ rather than ‘quantity’. It means attracting ‘quality’ visitors to a ‘quality’ destination. The number doesn’t matter here ‘Quality visitors’ are defined as individuals who are socially and environmentally aware, and are responsible. Getting qualitative tourists can certainly make a difference rather than having huge numbers instead which can prevent the tourist destination from being exploited and ravaged. As a result, they are more likely to have a longer average length of stay. Clarity of Marketing Communication The brand must be consistently hit the targeted market with proper approaches with an effective brand strategy. Cheap destination, quality, standards are the Nepal’s key destination strengths. Other key attributes, particularly the friendliness of the Nepalese people and destination diversity will be consistently highlighted under the “Nepal Tourism Year” theme. To help establish a clear brand identity for each of the regions, destination should be highlighted with its prominent features. This makes it easier for visitors to form a vivid mental image of the destination and helps them to remember its most distinctive characteristics.

Using E-marketing to the ultimate

E-marketing is a dynamic tool which includes various marketing resources that are easily available in the World Wide Web (WWW). It includes social networking, search engine optimization techniques, blogs and online advertisement. The prospect of Emarketing is very high where it has literally made it possible to connect anywhere in the world. It’s a low cost but very effective and strong tool which can give efficient directions to the marketing plan. Similarly, the Search engine optimization technique can certainly bring the brand information and brand upfront. The importance and effectiveness of e-marketing in the campaign can make a difference but it depends upon how well it has been used. Likewise, social networking sites like face book and twitter are very effective in creating a broad network and channelizing the define information to a bigger mass within the easy of your comfort. The only thing that needs to be considered is regularly update ad quality information must be uploaded.

Participate in international travel trade shows NTB should further participate in international travel trade shows abroad and further promote the NTY 2011 with better brochures, documentaries and other relevant materials. Though it’s an orthodox method and is very much cost ineffective so it should be controlled and has very limited results.

Organize and participate in international road-shows

The Marketing Plan should incorporate policy guidelines of the MoTCA, and should further develop a State Enterprise Plan for proper development. Establish tourism policies and pursue tourism promotion and development and marketing strategies in line with the sufficiency economy principles to create a better balance between development and marketing to ensure sustainability.

➢ Embrace principles of sustainable tourism development

➢ Enhance the value perception of Nepalese tourism products and services by balancing the price-value equation. This is fundamental to achieving Quality Tourism.

➢ Establish clear brand identity for each of the provincial clusters presented as tourism products in order to create a positive and long-lasting impression and memorable experience

➢ Policy Guidelines Established by the Board of Directors of the Tourism Authority of Nepal

➢ Tourism is a key economic driver. Recognize the very significant role that tourism plays in providing peoples in all regions of the Nepal with better quality of life.

➢ Promote sustainable tourism growth by leveraging the strengths of the destination and the “Nepal” brand

➢ Achieve a balance between economic and social benefits — demonstrate respect for the environment, foster environmental awareness and promote a sense of pride in the nation.

Policy Guidelines of NTY 2011

➢ To ensure sustainability proper tourism promotion and development strategies must be developed

➢ sustainable tourism development principle must be highlighted

➢ For Quality Tourism, the quality and standard of the Nepalese tourism services and products must be raised and balanced with the price value mechanism

➢ Brand identity must be made clear in respect to the sectional and regional geography creating a better prospect of growth and development

Policy Guidelines for State Enterprise Plan

➢ Putting Nepal in the world stage as a quality destination is the basic need for the success of the NTY 2010 campaign where further necessary frame work and mechanism should be developed

➢ Promote the concept of Eco tourism and highlight the concept of Nepali cultural identity

➢ The integrated industry plan provides a framework for the conduct of activities to promote Nepalese tourism and ensures that all sectors involved proceed in the same direction and work towards common goals.

➢ The role of NTB is immense where it should also paves the way for the integration of marketing efforts, tourism products and services and marketing communication. Under the guidance of MoTCA, NTB’s should take the initiatives with those being undertaken by strategic partners in both the state and private sector.

➢ The Nepali tourism industry should be taken in confidence to facilitate efforts to further develop better Nepal’s tourism products and services.

Nepal Launches a New Tourism Promotion Campaign NTY 2011

Kathmandu, February 26, 2010: Nepal’s Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal officially launched the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY 2011), a tourism promotion campaign by lighting a peace light here among thousands of spectators in Army Pavilion Ground in Tundikhel Kathmandu. The torch was brought all the way from Lumibini the birth place of Gautam Buddha where it was carried on a rally by athletes on foot.
The campaign is theme “Together for Tourism” which is expected to draw more than one million tourists during its period.
Speaking at the launch program, Prime Minister Nepal said, “Tourism has played a key role in the economy where it acts as a strong pillar of development. With creating better opportunities of employment, community development, and income generation, this sector has propounded a new economic revolution which can and has the power to bring change.”
Highlighting that Nepal also said, “This campaign is not just a campaign for the Government of Nepal or the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), it’s a campaign themed for the overall development of the country where all the sectors should play their part in making it a success.”
He also called upon all the political parties to come on a common ground to stop calling strikes (Bandhas), during the campaign period. Nepal also mentioned that Nepal is rich in Natural beauty and resources, which needs to be further explored and properly channelized for the development of tourism and the country.
Sharat Singh Bhandari, Ministry at Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) said, “The NTY 2011 Campaign is launched with the theme of Together for Tourism aiming at economic revolution through different measure of tourism where the entire sector including the political parties should play a crucial role in creating better future prospects.”
Yogendra Shakya, National Coordinator of the NTY 2011 said, “Nepal’s Tourism has seen both good and bad days and now the good days are once again back. We are ready to create a new image of Nepal with the passion and enthusiasm to give the world the ultimate travelling destination. We are ready to host 1 Million tourists where we can and we are capable of handling them, and we just need the support and cooperation from all the sectors.”
During the launch program, more than 18 political parties and their leaders showed their commonality and support toward the campaign. Similarly, different tourism association, tourism entrepreneurs, and social figures also confirmed their solidarity toward the campaign.

By Shreedeep Rayamajhi

Telling the epic story of will and strength, Dharahara stands tall with its legacy

Standing tall with an audacity to challenge time and history, Dharahara is an iconic land marvel of time dating back to 1832 AD. Architecturally designed in a post modern style with huge influence of the Mughal and European style, the monument holds a pristine image of craftsmanship and culture.
Constructed by the then Prime Minster Bhimsen Thapa under the supervision of Queen Lalit Tripura Sundari, the tower was specifically constructed for strategic purpose of the Army where its use and operation were exclusively limited for disseminating information and practicing different Army operations. From then it has amortized its presences in history marking the tradition bugles u trumpeting in case of emergency and on special occasions.
The existing Dharahara stands 9 stories, in 50.2 Meters height with spiral stair case running up to the top counting 113 steps from top to bottom. Crowning on top a Shiva-Lingam resides in the 9th floor glorifying the religious and traditional believe. The 8th floor welcomes its visitor with scenic views of the valley where one could observe the modern encroachment of concrete jungle of the Kathmandu valley that amalgamating with the ancient city. The site itself is panoramic where on a clears day one can see the Lang Tang Mountain Range and observe the picturesque scenery to enjoy one’s appetite for natural beauty. Topping the monument, a bronze mast rules in highlighting its beauty, making it ready for a picture perfect shot. It is believed that the Dharahara was constructed using no ordinary construction material rather traditional materials like Vajra - Surki (Brick dust), Chuna (Lime), Mas (Black lentil) and Chaku (Caramel) wore used which holds its strength witness years of its survival and existence.
The current standing Dharahara is the replica of the original Bhimsen Stambha which was build in the name of Queen Lalit Tripura Sundari. The original Dharahara or Bhimsen Stambha was actually built in 1824 and was 11 stories high. After construction of the Bhimsen Stambha, the first Dharahara, the Queen ordered to construct another replica dedicated to her name. The two towers stood tall near a short distance glorifying the traditions and culture, but who knew what faith had stored in for them within the devastating earth quake of 1834, the name and fame of both the Dharahara changed forever. Though both the towers survived, but Bhimsen Stambha suffered severe damage and was in a deprived state due to lack of maintenance and renovation but the January 15, 1934 AD, earthquake completely destroyed the original Bhimsen Stambha bringing it down to just ruins.
Consequently, the replica had suffered less damage and only 2 stories of the 11 stories had survived. Witnessing a distorted image of the prestigious monument, the then Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher, renovated the second Dharahara to its previous form, while the original Bhimsen Stambha was obliterated, thus the queen Lalit Tripura Sundari's tower got its name, Bhimsen Stambha and is standing tall with the name and fame of Bhimsen Stambha.

Amidst a fighting spirit and witnessing chaotic changes in the country, Dharahara stands tall with an epic story to be told to its coming generation where it amortizes time in its beauty with grace and fame.

By Shreedeep Rayamajhi