Govt fails to promote adventure tourism

Though Nepal is well known as an adventure tourism destination, the government has failed to do anything substantial for the sector.

“The mountains are being further commercialised but the government has not shown any interest and failed to provide security in these areas,” said immediate past president of Human Rescue Association (HRA) Bikram Neupane.

Mountain expedition, rock climbing, trekking and peak climbing are various forms of adventure tourism.

“We receive frequent feedback regarding growing need for safety and security along with good medical facilities at base camps, but government has turned a deaf ear,” he said. According to him, growing commercialisation has created an adverse effect on adventure tourism, especially in the Himalayas.

“The government should make arrangements for emergency medical support and establish tourist police offices,” he said. Neupane also said that there are no special medical camps and for the past 11 years, HRA in coordination with Dr Luan Freer, is running a clinic for medical assistance in those camps without any support from the government.

Meanwhile, Tourism Industry Division has also expressed its serious concern on the urgent need for safety and security in the Himalayas. Pointing out the recent mishap at Everest Base Camp where some climbers and Sherpas got into a fight, joint secretary at the division Surendra Sapkota said that the unpleasant incident has shown an urgent need for security in that area and other destinations as well.

“We are preparing to establish a separate security system at base camp and at other destinations too,” said Sapkota, and agreed that the government had failed to notice need for a special security system in Himalayas.

“Now, we are more concerned for the Himalayas and other destinations and will do what is required of us,” he said. “We are going to establish a tourist police office at Namche and will also implement the rule for compulsory presence of security personnel and medical assistance at the base camp,” said Sapkota.

“The government has not shown interest in developing security and medicine facilities at adventure destinations,” said CEO of Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) Ganga Sagar Pant. According to him, people from various parts of the world are involved in illegal activities in the Himalayas but the government has not done anything regarding it.

“TAAN is working to establish a satellite radio technology,” he said and informed that there are some trekkers who have already started using such technology developed in Australia.

source: 1 may 2013