Following the industry closure by Maoist-affiliated trade union and the incidents of sabotaging that broke after the brutal killings of 12 Nepali hostages in Iraq, the tourism industry which had set on a recovery track over the year, has begun to see the bad days again. The number of tourists visiting the country by air in September fell by around 20.9 percent as compared to the corresponding month last year. According to figures released by the Ministry of Culture, Civil Aviation and Tourism, a total of 18,785 tourists visited the country during the period as against 23,754 tourists in the same month last year. Talking to the Post, an official at the Nepal Tourism Board attributed decline to the recent unfavorable incidents. "After a week-long Maoists blockade and the riot on September 1, a large number of tourists deterred from visiting the country. And, the industry saw a massive booking cancellations," he said. The country witnessed a decline of 13.4 percent in the arrival of tourists from the third countries. Around 15,370 tourists from the countries other than India entered into Nepal during the period, while the number was 17,742 same month last year.

The tourism industry also recorded a substantial decline of 43.2 percent in the arrival of tourists from India, the major market of Nepali tourism industry. In terms of country-wise tourist arrivals, the data reveals that the number of Chinese tourists declined by 14.4 percent. A total of 480 Chinese tourists came into the country, down from 561 tourists. The industry also saw decline of 21.8 percent in the arrivals of Japanese tourists. Likewise, the number of American and British tourists dipped by 20.7 and 16 percent respectively. However, the industry posted a robust increase in the arrival of Austrian tourists, as the number climbed up by 44 percent. The number of Australian and Norwegian tourists rose by 4.3 percent and 17.3 percent respectively. Meanwhile, the country posted a rise of 20.9 percent in the arrival of tourists in the first nine months this year. The number of tourists coming into the country during the period stood at 208,509, up from 172,394 tourists in the same period last year.

OTHER NEWS

• World Tourism Day celebrated: Hit by the lingering conflict, tourism entrepreneurs celebrated the 25th World Tourism Day with hopes that the celebration will help promote the industry in the days ahead. A number of events were organized nationwide to mark the day. Government officials welcomed the tourists coming into the country at various border points and airports, including Tribhuvan International Airport, presenting them ?surprise? gifts. Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) held a prize distribution ceremony to celebrate the day.
  
  
• Discover Thimi concludes drawing warm response: Thimi, a culturally and historically rich city in the Kathmandu Valley, saw an unprecedented number of visitors over the last two days. With massive influx of observers and participants from all over the Valley, Thimi Festival 2004, a two-day event that ran for Sept 25-26, has been a resounding success. According to Shyam Krishna Manandhar, the festival coordinator, almost 50,000 people visited the festival on first day. The number is greater than organizers? expectation. He further stated that around 80,000 people will have visited the event by the concluding day. Wide varieties of activities like handicrafts cultural and musical, books, photos, industrial products and cameras shows, along with Newari cuisines were the major features of the of the two-day event. In total, there were around 60 stalls in the festival, majority of them showcasing Bhaktapur?s history and culture.
  
  
• Martinair to resume operation to Nepal: After the summer break, Martinair, a Dutch airline, is set to resume its operation to Nepal from October 3 to April 17, 2005. The airline that has been operating flights to Nepal only in the peak-tourism season will operate weekly flights between Kathmandu and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. According to a statement distributed at a press conference organized here recently, the flight will be operated through Sharjah, Unites Arab Emirates and offers worldwide connections at the Martinair hub in Amsterdam. The release states that the flight will be operated by a Boeing 767-300ER with capacity of 248 economy-class seats and 24 star-class seats. It will also uplift cargo from Kathmandu to worldwide destinations from its hub at Sharjah airport. Martinair has appointed Marco Polo Travels and Tours as its general sales agent (GSA) for Nepal.
  
  
• Labor export dips 50pc post 9/1: Black Wednesday, September 1, that was witness to massive violence in Kathmandu, especially against manpower agencies, following the brutal killing of 12 Nepali workers in Iraq on August 31, has seen labor exports nosedive. Total labor export has plunged by around 50 percent compared to that of last month, and the same period last year. The country, which had been witnessing steady growth in the number of people leaving the country for overseas employment over the past three months, saw just 4609 workers going abroad in the last 30 days since September 1.
  
  
• British Gurkhas win UK citizenship: The British government Wednesday, announced change in the UK's immigration policy that would allow Nepali Gurkhas serving in the British Army to stay as citizens in Britain, ending three years of legal battle. A British Embassy source told the Post, that British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced the "new immigration" policy. A statement issued by the Embassy said, the British Ambassador to Nepal Keith Bloomfield, briefed the government prior to making the announcement. "We are delighted with the outcome of this review, which again reinforces the British Government's commitment to the Brigade of Gurkhas," the statement quoted Bloomfield as saying
  
  
• Nepal safe tourist hub: Sept 28 - Minister for Culture, Civil Aviation and Tourism, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, said that Nepal, despite the ongoing violence, is still a safe destination for tourists. "Not a single tourist, so far, has faced any untoward incident," he said. He was addressing an International Conference on Sports and Tourism held on the occasion of the World tourism Day. He further said that at a time when the world has been facing violence, sports and tourism can be developed as means to build peace and prosperity. "Nepal is planning to organize the Second World Buddhist Summit in Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, in the near further," he said.
  
  
  

By Hari Shrestha, Resident Representative in Kathmandu