Tourism Vision 2020-Where do we stand?

The government unveiled Tourism Vision 2020 in 2012 with the target of welcoming 2 million visitors and creating 1 million new jobs, among others, by 2020. The vision was launched right after the completion of Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign to give momentum to growth in tourist arrivals, boost country´s tourism image and develop tourism as a major contributor to the national economy.

Nepal´s natural beauty, cultural attractions and heritage sites have been attracting visitors from across the world even since the country opened doors for foreigners in the 1950s. The first summit of Mt Everest three years later helped promote Nepal throughout the world. The number of foreign tourists grew steadily till the beginning of the new millennium when arrival of foreigners was affected due to internal reasons. But after the end of insurgency in 2006, tourists´ arrival is gradually picking up. The government came up with the Vision 2020 to give continuity to tourism growth and take optimum benefit from this vibrant industry.

WHAT´S IN THE VISION?
The government has set six different objectives in the Vision 2020 document. First is to improve livelihoods of people across the country by developing integrated tourism infrastructure, increasing tourism activities and generating employment opportunities. Second is to bring tourism into mainstream of Nepal´s socio economic development. Similarly, the third objective is to expand tourism products and services in new potential areas. Other objectives are to publicize, promote and enhance the image of Nepal in international markets; enhance flight safety and aviation security; extend air connectivity and improve capacity and facility of national and international airports; and attract new investments in creating new tourism facilities, products and services.

MAJOR CONSTRAINTS
According to tourism entrepreneurs, there is a huge gap between action and the beautiful vision that the government has set. Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA), the only international airport in the country, has already reached a saturation point. It is difficult, if not impossible, to accommodate more airlines.

"Currently the capacity of runway as well as the airport has reached the saturation point. With this infrastructure, we cannot handle such a huge number of tourists as envisioned in the Vision 2020 document," Birendra Prasad Shrestha, acting general manager of TIA, told Republica.

Ashok Pokharel, president of Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO), said air connectivity will be crucial to meet the tourist arrival target. "We don´t have sufficient flights to and from major tourist generating markets. Similarly, our national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has not been able to expand its fleet and strengthen its image in the international market,” he added.

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), which is responsible for promotion and marketing of Nepali tourism products and services in the international market, has remained handicapped due to absence of CEO for the past three years. "We had devised different promotional programs in the international market and even allocated budget for the purpose. But we couldn´t get approval," Aditya Baral spokesperson of NTB, said.

Tourism entrepreneurs say focus should be laid also on infrastructure development and improvement in service quality. "We need to enhance the quality of service that we are providing. If we don´t provide quality service, tourists are not going to return anymore," Suman Ghimire, owner of Chitwan-based Jungle Safari Lodge said. "Similarly, infrastructures in our tourism destinations are in poor conditions. Also, we don´t have good tourism products to lengthen tourists´ stay."

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR?
According to Mohan Krishna Sapkota, spokesperson of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the government has made a ´National Tourism Strategy Plan 2013´, which has a five-year action plan, to support the vision. “The strategy includes various aspects like development of air connectivity, road access and utility services, and human resources. Similarly, investment promotion, branding and marketing exercises, enhancing quality of service, nature and cultural heritage protection and conservation, and enhancing community participation are the other aspects that the strategy includes," Sapkota said, adding that the government would soon begin implementation of the action plan so that the objective set in Tourism Vision 2020 can be met.

At the industry level, different travel trade associations have formed a taskforce to help the government meet the targets set in the vision. They signed an agreement to this effect in October.

“Rather than involving in blame game, we will hold a national dialogue with the government within a month and then issue a whitepaper, probably within January, specifying things that should be done to achieve the targets," Binayak Shah, chairman of the taskforce, said, adding that private sector is ready to work with the government.

Realizing the need to increase air connectivity, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has been working to upgrade Gautam Budhha Airport at Bhairahawa into a regional international airport. It has already announced to construct another regional international airport in Pokhara by 2017. “As TIA has already reached the saturation point, the new airports will help us to bring more international airlines," acting GM Shrestha said. "We will complete expansion of arrival and departure halls at TIA by 2017. IT will help ease traffic congestion at the immigration desk."

National flag carrier is also on expansion spree. In addition to the existing aircraft, NAC will have two MA 60s and four Harbin Y12E aircraft by March 2015. Similarly, its two Airbus A320s will arrive by the first half of 2015.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
“To meet the targets, the first thing that we should do is renovate our international airport. We should separate domestic and international airports. We also need to strengthen our national flag carrier and bring more international airlines," Shakya said, adding, "In terms of hotel rooms, we will have the infrastructures to accommodate 2 million visitors by 2020."

Similarly, NTB´s spokesperson Baral said there marketing efforts should be reinforced in collaboration with the private sector of Nepal as well as the source markets. "We have devised a plan to bring volume-based tourists from India and China. For that, we are working to collaborate with airlines to bring more tourists from these countries," he added.

Tourism entrepreneurs that Republica talked to say it is possible to meet the targets set by Tourism Vision 2020 if priority is given to tourism infrastructure development, promotion of Nepali tourism products through leading international media like BBC and CNN, increasing air connectivity, and identification and promotion of new tourism products and services in different parts of the country.

source: KRITI BHUJU, republica, 5 Dec 2014
photo: republica