TAAN Delegation Meets Tourism Minister
A delegation of Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) led by first vice president Bachhu Narayan Shrestha paid a courtesy call on newly appointed Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma. The delegation congratulated Minister Bishwakarma for assuming the office at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and apprised him of the problems that Nepali tourism industry, especially the trekking sector, has been facing. Some of the issues raised by the delegation were mismanagement at Tribhuvan International Airport, especially the domestic terminal, restrictions on Upper Mustang and Manaslu, among others.

Shrestha also informed the Minister about different activities being carried out by TAAN for identification and promotion of new trekking areas. The delegation also solicited positive support and cooperation from the government in its programs and activities. Second Vice President Mahendra Singh Thapa, Secretary Nima Dorjee Sherpa, Executive Member Ramesh Dhamala and Machhindra Acharya of TAAN Media Center were also in the delegation.

Four Nepali Women to Attempt Annapurna IV
Four Nepali women are planning to summit Mt Annapurna IV (7,525) this spring. The Nepali Women Annapurna Expedition 2001 will try to put Nirma Rai of Solukhumbu, Muna Gurung of Manang, Saraswati BK of Kaski and Shantikala Rai of Solukhumbu to the summit of Mt Annapurna IV. The expedition is jointly organized by Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) Pokhara Chapter, Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) Annapurna Chapter and Pokhara-based Empowerment of Women Nepal (EWN). At a press meet organized at TAAN Secretariat in Kathmandu on March 14, the women mountaineers said they were all prepared for the summit.

"All of us have been working as a trekking guide for the past many years. We've also taken rock climbing and ice climbing training at both home and abroad. We are all prepared for the summit," said Nirma Rai. The expedition will begin from Manang in the second week of April and the women expect to reach the summit within 30 or 40 days.

"This expedition is not just a step ahead in empowerment of Nepalese women. It will also be crucial to increase the number of women trekkers and mountaineers to the Annapurna Region," said Dr Ganesh Gurung, former member of National Planning Commission and the coordinator of the expedition. Tendi Sherpa, a mountaineering instructor and an accomplished mountaineer, will be the guide of the expedition. The total budget of the expedition is estimated at around Rs 5.6 million. The expedition is supported by a number of national and international associations and leaders of different political parties.

Call to Declare Bhotekoshi River a Protected Area
Tourism entrepreneurs have demanded the government to develop Bhotekoshi River a protected area and promote it as a destination for water-based tourism activities. Bhotekoshi is regarded as one of the best destinations for water excursions. Speaking at an interaction on ´Importance of Bhotekoshi River in the Development of Tourism´ organized recently in Sindhupalchowk district, they expressed concerns over construction of dams, haphazard sand excavations and pollution, and demanded that the government declare Bhotekoshi River a protected area.

Mahendra Singh Thapa, vice-president of Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN), said the river was fast getting polluted due to open sewage and uncontrolled sand mining at different places along the river. "Rafting and kayaking activities in the river will be affected if the river is polluted and distorted," he added. Nanikaji Thapa, president of the Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (NARA), Bhotekoshi River holds immense prospects for rafting and kayaking activities."We have to develop Bhotekoshi as a hub for water adventure with joint efforts from the government and private sector during the Nepal Tourism Year 2011," Thapa added.

Similarly, Megh Ale, president of Bhotekoshi Protection Campaign and a water tourism entrepreneur, stressed on the need to develop Bhotekoshi as a tourist destination as it can attract a lot of visitors, creating income opportunities for locals.

AOAN Asks Government to Review Airfare
Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) has requested the government to increase fare on different air routes. Issuing a press statement on Jan 31, the association of private carriers in the country drew the attention of the concerned government authority to review airfare at the earliest.

Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) reviews airfare every two years taking into consideration components like fuel cost and maintenance cost among others. “Airline operators are facing financial burden as the airfare hasn’t been review for the last five years,” the statement added. MoTCA had formed a taskforce to review airfare in the first week of November. It was asked to submit report within two months.

"The taskforce formed about 3 months ago has yet to submit its report to the government,” AOAN source said, adding, “Except for the fuel surcharge, there has been no increment in airfare in the last five years.” He further informed that fuel cost, cost of maintenance, insurance, landing and parking fees and lease tax have gone up remarkably during the period. The government allows airlines to increase surcharge only if the price of aviation fuel increases by at least Rs 4 per liter.

Nepal to Host PATA Adventure Travel Mart 2011
Nepal is hosting the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Adventure Travel Mart and Responsible Tourism Conference 2011. Nepal was selected host for the event as the country is celebrating the year 2011 as Nepal Tourism Year. The four-day event will be organized at Fulbari Resort & Spa in Pokhara from Feb 7.

The event is expected to bring together people involved in adventure travel and responsible tourism and create new opportunities for promoting environmental protection and social sustainability within the industry, PATA said in a statement. "Located in the western region, in the lap of the magnificent 6993 m high Mt Machhapuchhre and with Lake Fewa serenely shining right in the middle of the city, Pokhara attracts thousands of tourists every year. The seven big and small lakes in the vicinity also give the name Lake City to Pokhara and serves to make it one of the most idyllic tourist destinations in Nepal," PATA has described Pokhara in the statement.

Nepal had also hosted PATA Adventure Travel Mart and Responsible Tourism Conference 2010.

China Southern Doubles Nepal Flights
China Southern Airlines has doubled its flights to and from Kathmandu amid increasing demands for air seats. The airline will now fly six times a week. The airline has added three more flights per week from Jan 23. The airline will now fly on Guangzhou-Kathmandu-Guangzhou route every day except on Tuesdays.

The increase in flight frequency is expected to bring more tourists to the country as a wide range of domestic network and also international network in countries like South Korea, Japan, Australia and various European nations. Airline sources said rising demand for air tickets and Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign encouraged them to raise flight frequency. Another Chinese carrier – China Eastern – resumed its Nepal flights a couple of weeks ago. The airline links Kathmandu with Chinese city of Kunming.

Kingfisher Airlines Launches Flights from New Delhi to Kathmandu  
New Delhi, April 24, 2010 Kingfisher Airlines, India’s only Five Star Airline rated by Skytrax, today announced the launch of 2 new additional international routes - New Delhi to Kathmandu and New Delhi to Dubai. With the launch of these new flights, the total number of international destinations that Kingfisher Airlines flies to from New Delhi goes up to five. The other three international destinations that Kingfisher Airlines flies to out of New Delhi are London, Bangkok and Hong Kong.

The flights on all these routes are being operated with Kingfisher Airlines’ modern fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft. The flights on the New Delhi-Dubai route will feature a dual-class cabin with five star luxury on Kingfisher First and Kingfisher Class, the premium economy service, while the flights on the New Delhi-Kathmandu and Mumbai-Dubai route will feature Kingfisher Class.  In Kingfisher First, guests can expect to be pampered with the first-of-its-kind luxury right from the airport to on-board comforts, gourmet cuisine and in-flight entertainment. The award-winning Kingfisher experience includes roomy seats with a wide seat pitch and ample leg room, in-flight entertainment, gourmet cuisine, specially trained international cabin crew and a host of on-board comforts.

Commenting on the launch of these new international routes, Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman and CEO, Kingfisher Airlines Limited said, “I am delighted to announce the launch of three new international routes including the launch of Kingfisher Airlines’ maiden service between New Delhi and Kathmandu. Kingfisher Airlines has redefined the whole experience of flying and with the launch of these new flights, discerning flyers on these popular international routes will now have the choice of traveling with India’s favourite airline. “

Kingfisher Airlines has the largest network in India and flies to many cities that are served exclusively by Kingfisher Airlines. The New Delhi-Kathmandu flight offers excellent connectivity with Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Leh and London amongst other cities. Kingfisher Airlines’ guests will now be able to fly in from these cities and easily connect with the New Delhi-Kathmandu flight. Guests flying in from Kathmandu to New Delhi will get easy and convenient connections to Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. The New Delhi-Dubai flight offers excellent connectivity with Pune, Jammu, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Amritsar and others. Kingfisher Airlines’ guests will now be able to fly in from these cities and easily connect with the Mumbai-Dubai and New Delhi-Dubai flights.

Kingfisher Airlines caters to all segments of air travel ranging from low-fare service - Kingfisher Red, to the premium economy service - Kingfisher Class, to the luxurious Kingfisher First. As India’s market-leading airline, Kingfisher Airlines offers the maximum number of flights offered by any single airline network in India. Kingfisher Airlines connects 61 cities in India and 8 international destinations and has over 390 daily departures with a fleet of 66 aircraft.

Nepal-Qatar Sales Mission Concludes   
The Embassy of Nepal in Doha organized a tourism promotional programme entitled "Nepal-Qatar Sales Mission 2010"in Ramada Plaza Hotel on Sunday, 14 April 2010. The event was inaugurated by H.E. Dr. Surya Nath Mishra, Ambassador of Nepal to the State of Qatar amidst a ceremony. Representatives of local travel agencies, media houses, renowned hotels, and prominent companies and airlines companies operating their services in Doha-Kathmandu sector were present in the programme.

The programme was divided into three segments; inauguration, presentation, dinner and cultural programme. H.E. the Ambassador while focusing on secularism, Nepal as a safe destination and country of immense natural beauty in his inaugural speech, requested the guests present to make Nepal as the destination of their choice. H.E. the Ambassador's speech also put limelight on various spheres of bilateral relations between Nepal and Qatar.

The Power point presentation by Mr. Diwakar Bikram Rana, Manager of Nepal Tourism Board incorporated mainly the Government's campaign of "Nepal Tourism Year 2011" and Nepal as one of the most preferred destinations in the world. Nepal Tourism Board also presented a montage consisting of pictorial elaboration of Nepal's natural, cultural and geographical beauty and diversity. Mr. Rana also appealed the guests to visit Nepal once and the brand "Naturally Nepal, Once is Not Enough" itself will appeal them to visit Nepal twice, thrice and more. Mrs. Ratna Laxmi Shrestha Ranjit, spokesperson of the Publicity Unit of Nepal Airlines Corporation delivered a speech highlighting the reliability, safety and flawless service of Nepal Airlines Corporation as the national flag carrier. The sponsor of Fahd Travels, General Sales Agent (GSA) of Nepal Airlines Corporation for Doha and his staff were also present in the event. The appealing power point presentation by Mr. David R. Paul, Marketing & Sales executive of Mannai Holidays informed all the guests about a seven-day package tour of Nepal. He also informed that the agencies could offer various packages as per the demand of the visitors. The dancers of various indigenous community performed Tamang Selo, Sakela Sily, Hurrah and Tharu dances on the occasion.

The programme was held under the aegis of the Embassy in close co-ordination with Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Airlines Corporation, Mannai Holidays, a local travel agency in Doha having partnership with a prominent travel agency in Kathmandu and Nepal Non-Resident Federation of Indigenous Nationalities, Doha, Qatar, a Non-Resident Nepalese community organization. The programme is expected to have a positive impact among the citizens of Qatar and expatriate communities in Qatar to make up their mind to visit Nepal while encouraging the local travel agencies to sell various packages to Nepal to the aspirant visitors. This event is organized to support the Nepal Government's economic diplomacy drive to promote Nepal in the State of Qatar and beyond.

Visitor Arrivals by Air reach new Height
The figures released by Immigration Office, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) reveal that visitor arrivals in the month of March 2010, compared to the same month last year, have increased by 34.6% to 44,431.

The arrivals from South Asian region, except for the arrivals from Sri Lanka have gained overall positive growth of 35.3% with India (35.5%), Bangladesh (53.8%) and, Pakistan (3.2%). Visitor arrivals from India, which is the largest source market for Nepal, has been increasing since the very beginning of 2010. A robust growth of 21% has been observed in the arrivals from the South Asian region during the first three months of 2010, in comparison to the same period last year.

Visitor arrivals from China, one of the fastest growing tourist markets for Nepal, have sustained the remarkable growth of 114%, compared to the figures in March 2009. Similarly, other Asian countries maintained the upward trend of previous months with Japan ( 6.8%), Malaysia ( 38.4%), South Korea (68.1%). However, arrivals from Thailand and Singapore witnessed negative growths of 45.9% and 5.8% respectively In aggregate, the other Asian segment has registered a growth of 32.9%. Visitor arrivals in the first three months of 2010, as compared to the same period last year, have grown by 38.6% in aggregate.

An overall growth of 42 % has been observed from the European markets with arrivals from major generating markets such as the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands up by 44.9%, 5.4%, 40.8%, 44% and 128.2% respectively. Visitor arrivals from all the European markets in the first three months of 2010, as compared to the same period last year, have grown by 34.1%. The figures also show increasing trend in the visitor arrivals from the United States of America with a notable growth of 6.5%. Similarly Canada, Australia and New Zealand have also maintained positive trend with 27.2%, 27.4% and 69% of growths respectively.

This is the tenth consecutive month Nepal has witnessed growth in the international tourist arrivals and this confirms the improved prospects for Nepal in the year 2010 with rising business and consumer confidence. In the first three months of 2010 a robust 29.8 % of cumulative growth has been observed in comparison to the same period last year. A total of 39,221 foreign tourists departed from TIA in March 2010.The number of Nepalese arrivals stood at 51,243 while 68,475 Nepalese departed from TIA in March 2010.