Lumbini, Pokhara launch joint tourism campaign

Bhairahawa: Tourism entrepreneurs from Lumbini and Pokhara have agreed to launch a joint promotional campaign, and encourage visitors arriving in one destination to visit the other too. They plan to publicize Lumbini as a symbol of peace and Pokhara as a scenic vacation spot.

The two sides decided to join forces during a visit to Bhairahawa by tourism entrepreneurs from Pokhara to promote their 15th street festival. The joint convention stressed promoting the area between Pokhara and Lumbini as a “tourism hub”.

Bishnu Sharma, president of the Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce, said they agreed on the tie-up due to the immense potential of joint tourism promotion. “There is huge potential for tourism development if the entrepreneurs from the two destinations work jointly to promote each other’s attractions,” he added.

Similarly, president of the Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sanjiv Bahadur Koirala said that mutual cooperation between the entrepreneurs from the two tourism destinations could help develop the tourism sector in both the places.

Located in the plains of south central Nepal, Lumbini has been identified for its high potential for tourism development as it is the birth place of Lord Buddha. The highest number of tourists visiting Lumbini come overland through the Sunauli border point. Construction of a regional international airport and special economic zone at Lumbini are expected to help promote tourism in the region.

The lakeside city of Pokhara, which is located about 200 km to the north of Lumbini, is popular for its natural beauty, trekking routes to adjoining areas and the Muktinath Temple in Mustang district to its north.

Meanwhile, tourism entrepreneurs have condemned the syndicate system prevailing in the transportation sector in both the destinations. The syndicate does not allow transport companies who are not its members to operate on the route, effectively creating a monopoly. According to travel and tourism traders, the practice has hindered tourism development.

Sanjay Bajimaya, president of the Siddhartha Travel Agency Association, Lumbini accused the West Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs Committee of demanding undue benefits in return for granting routes for tourist related transport services. “They demand up to Rs 200,000 as a bribe for registering the vehicles of entrepreneurs with the committee,” he added. Due to this reason, Mountain Air, a tourism transport service on the Lumbini-Pokhara route, has also been facing difficulties operating its service. “A few days ago, a bus belonging to the company had to face problems in Lumbini. This has discouraged Jomsom-bound visitors from travelling with the company,” said Bajimaya.

Similarly, Pokhara-based entrepreneur Surya Bhujel demanded an end to the syndicate in transportation. According to him, many tourism entrepreneurs like him were delighted when work was started to build an international airport in Lumbini.

Another entrepreneur Rishikesh Agrawal highlighted the need to upgrade the Lumbini-Pokhara road to four or six lanes and construct a tunnel highway to promote tourism in the region.

source: the kathmandu post,13 Dec 2013