Mustang folks seek 60 pc tourism royalty

Baglung: Claiming that they have been deprived of their fare share, the locals of Mustang district have demanded that they be provided with 60 per cent of tourism royalty, which the government collects from tourists visiting Upper Mustang.

The Mustang folk have warned of barring tourists from visiting Upper Mustang if their demand is not met by the government. They say infrastructure development in Mustang, which is located just across the Himalayan range, has slowed down due to lack of budget. They have asked the government to honor an understanding, as per which Mustang is supposed to get 60 per cent of tourism royalty which the Department of Immigration (DoI) collects from tourists visiting Upper Mustang.

Mustang´s Local Development Officer (LDO) Dilli Ram Sigdel says he has already written to the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) to provide 60 per cent of tourism royalty in tune with the government´s own assurance and demands of local people and political parties. In October last year, the government had promised that it would come up with guidelines to allocate 60 per cent of tourism royalty for infrastructure development in Mustang.
However, instead of getting 60 per cent of tourism royalty, Mustang is now receiving barely half of what it is entitled to. According Sigdel, there is a provsion as per which Mustang should be given 30 per cent of royalty. "But, we are not getting 30 per cent royalty, either," said Sigdel.

According to Sigdel, DoI collected over Rs 150 million from tourists visiting Upper Mustang in the last fiscal year 2069-70 B.S. "We are supposed to receive around Rs 40 million," said Sigdel. "But, we got just Rs 20 million." He said the District Development Office, Mustang feels financially crippled as DoI has not sent even 30 per cent of royalty.

Khagendra Tulachan, Mustang district chapter of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), said the government should not backtrack from its commitment. "We deserve 60 per cent of royalty," said he. "The government should give us what we deserve."

With its breath-taking beauty and rich culture and history, Mustang continues to fascinate tourists. As it not only shares geographical but also cultural and historical proximity with Tibet, hundreds of foreigners visit Upper Mustang every year. Billed as one of the top 10 best destinations by Lonely Planet in 2013, Mustang was opened to tourists only in 1992. Hundreds of tourists have been visiting what was once considered the Forbidden Kingdom. However, Mustang folks say they are deprived of basic amenities due to the government´s apathy.

source: republica,31 July 2013