GHT and Tara Air to Promote Tourism Destinations 

The Great Himalaya Trail Development Programme (GHTDP) and Tara Air have signed an agreement to promote tourism destinations within Nepal. With support of SNV Nepal and funding by the UK Department for International Development DFID / UKAid, the GHTDP aims to help channel tourists and pro-poor tourism investments to less visited and under-developed districts, and benefit the mountain communities. Tara Air will play its role in improving accessibility to remote hilly and mountain regions. 

 

“We believe that tourism plays a significant role in the rural economy. Tara Air is the only means of transportation to some of the remotest regions. ‘Helping Develop Rural Nepal’, the Slogan of Tara Air, lives up to its promise,’’ said Umesh Chandra Rai, General Manager, Tara Air. 

Mim Hamal, GHTDP Team Leader said, “The Great Himalaya Trail is a remarkable adventure product and we are hopeful that this partnership will most certainly help to improve the tourism industry by attracting tourists to new, off-the beaten-track destinations and thereby benefitting local communities.”

 

Tourist Arrival Declines While European Markets Offer Hope 

Figures released by the Immigration Office, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) have revealed that visitor arrivals in the month of June 2013, compared to the same month last year, have decreased by 4.6 per cent to 41,259. In aggregate, the South Asian segment has registered negative growth of 12.5 percent. India has recorded a negative growth of 15.3 percent. Arrivals from Pakistan have decreased by 28.8 percent as well. However, arrivals from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have increased by 53.8 percent and 62.9 percent respectively. 

 

Arrivals from Asia (other than South Asia) have recorded positive growth of 20.8 percent in aggregate. Visitor arrivals from China grew by 25.7 percent compared to the same month last year. Similarly, arrivals from Malaysia and Singapore have also increased by 195.1 percent and 3.5 percent respectively. Japan, South Korea and Thailand markets saw declines of 10.5 percent, 23.4 percent and 18.8 percent respectively. 

 

An overall positive growth of 1.4 percent has been observed from the European markets with arrivals from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain up by 2.6 percent, 14.7percent, 24.5 percent, 6.1 percent and 15.9 percent respectively. 

 

Between January to June 2013, international tourist arrivals to Nepal have declined by 3.9 percent to 282,429 in aggregate. A total of 50,312 foreign tourists departed from TIA in June 2013. The number of Nepali arrivals stood at 57,931 while 82,167 Nepalis departed from TIA in June 2013.