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Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Nepal attracts record number of tourists
KATHMANDU — Nepal had its best ever year for tourism in 2011, with
most of the growth coming from neighbouring India and China, according
to official figures released on Wednesday.
Once a must-see destination on the famed "hippy trail", Nepal was dealt a severe blow during the decade-long civil war that ended in 2006, with tourist numbers dropping dramatically.
But the new data show a marked recovery, with tourism accounting for seven percent of gross domestic product -- more than $1 billion -- last year.
The Nepal Tourism Board said there were 719,547 visitors in 2011, including those travelling over land. Some 545,000 came through the country's only international airport in Kathmandu, 21 percent up on the previous year.
Last month the United States, one of the major sources of trekkers, cancelled a warning against travel to Nepal as it pointed to improving conditions.
Once a must-see destination on the famed "hippy trail", Nepal was dealt a severe blow during the decade-long civil war that ended in 2006, with tourist numbers dropping dramatically.
But the new data show a marked recovery, with tourism accounting for seven percent of gross domestic product -- more than $1 billion -- last year.
The Nepal Tourism Board said there were 719,547 visitors in 2011, including those travelling over land. Some 545,000 came through the country's only international airport in Kathmandu, 21 percent up on the previous year.
Last month the United States, one of the major sources of trekkers, cancelled a warning against travel to Nepal as it pointed to improving conditions.
Nepal witnesses 39 per cent growth in Indian tourist arrivals by air
It seems Nepal
is making its way to Indian outbound travellers’ preferred destination
list. This trend is clearly visible in the fact that the number of
Indian tourists to Nepal by air increased by 39 per cent to 145,338, in
2011 as compared to 2010’s arrival figure of 104,470 by air. The number
of foreign tourists by air to Nepal has also witnessed an increase of
21.4 per cent over the 2010 figure of 448,769 visitors, official sources
said. The number of Chinese visitors also witnessed 77.6 per cent
growth registering 45,400 arrivals this year, according to the Nepal
Tourism Board (NTB).
However, the NTB admitted that it has failed to meet the set target of attracting 1,000,000 tourists during the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign as the year witnessed only 544,985 foreign visitors by air including 145,338 Indians. The low arrivals can be attributed to a number of factors such as the insufficient number of aircraft owned by Nepal Airlines, the national flag carrier, and the economic slowdown in Europe, said Sarad Pradhan, Media Advisor, Nepal Tourism Board, according to a report by PTI.
Besides a lack of effective promotional campaigns abroad by Nepal's tourism authority, political instability and the frequently observed shut downs and strikes have also contributed to the slowdown in tourism sector, Pradhan pointed out. According to a survey, there were more than 50 days of general strikes and shut downs in the year 2011 despite leaders of some 20 political parties pledging no strikes or agitations affecting the tourism sector during the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign.
However, the NTB admitted that it has failed to meet the set target of attracting 1,000,000 tourists during the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign as the year witnessed only 544,985 foreign visitors by air including 145,338 Indians. The low arrivals can be attributed to a number of factors such as the insufficient number of aircraft owned by Nepal Airlines, the national flag carrier, and the economic slowdown in Europe, said Sarad Pradhan, Media Advisor, Nepal Tourism Board, according to a report by PTI.
Besides a lack of effective promotional campaigns abroad by Nepal's tourism authority, political instability and the frequently observed shut downs and strikes have also contributed to the slowdown in tourism sector, Pradhan pointed out. According to a survey, there were more than 50 days of general strikes and shut downs in the year 2011 despite leaders of some 20 political parties pledging no strikes or agitations affecting the tourism sector during the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Facts about Nepal
Population: 29.8 million (UN, 2010)
Capital: Kathmandu
Area: 147,181 sq km (56,827 sq miles)
Major language: Nepali
Major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism
Life expectancy: 68 years (men), 70 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Nepalese rupee = 100 paisa
Main exports: Carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
GNI per capita: US $480 (World Bank, 2010)
Internet domain: .np
International dialling code: +977
Capital: Kathmandu
Area: 147,181 sq km (56,827 sq miles)
Major language: Nepali
Major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism
Life expectancy: 68 years (men), 70 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Nepalese rupee = 100 paisa
Main exports: Carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
GNI per capita: US $480 (World Bank, 2010)
Internet domain: .np
International dialling code: +977
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