International arrivals are returning to this world heritage eco- and adventure tourism haven. Can Nepal reach new peaks? Raini Hamdi reports
Dwarika’s restoration workshop – the whole of Nepal is rebuilding itself
Nepal has shaken off the impact of the 1996-2006 ‘People’s War’, with international arrivals flocking back to the destination and more positive news that will further boost tourism figures.
The US lifted its travel advisory on Nepal last year, according to Jyoti Upadhyay, international sales & marketing manager of The Dwarika’s Group, which operates hotels and Kathmandu Travels & Tours.
AirAsia X, which started thrice-weekly services from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu on July 3 last year, stepped up the frequency to four-weekly last week (April 15). High-end luxury operator Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) has also started to come back with a few programmes in Nepal which it is promoting to various markets.
Last year, arrivals by air rose almost 10 per cent to 598,204 (Source: Immigration Office, Tribhuvan International Airport or TIA). Asia (not including South Asia) and Australia/New Zealand led with a 15.1 per cent growth each, followed by North America (10.4 per cent) and Europe (4.5 per cent).
Asians, in fact, are exploring Nepal. TIA’s February 2013 figures show 135 per cent growth in arrivals from China, 288 per cent from Malaysia and 112 per cent from Singapore.
AirAsia X’s CEO, Azran Osman-Rani, said: “Nepal is definitely regaining its popularity. Travellers are increasingly looking for alternative destinations, and Nepal has both the natural Himalayas for trekking, rafting, etc, and the deep culture of places such as Ubud (Bali) and Jogjakarta.”
“Increasing demand has encouraged us to increase frequency and we hope to increase it even further later,” added Azran, who noted an 80 per cent load factor for the Kathmandu service since it started. Leisure travellers form about 25 per cent of the traffic and, of this, 15 per cent are Malaysians and the rest Japanese, Koreans, Chinese and Australians.
“AirAsia X will continue to work closely with our travel and tourism partners in Nepal to enhance attractive packages for our guests to further explore Kathmandu’s heritage and natural attractions,” he said.
A current penchant among tourists to see preserved cultural attractions and be ‘close’ to a country makes Nepal, with its unique temples, stupas, villages and mountains, an ‘in’ place – if only it could get its infrastructure up to scratch.
The capital Kathmandu painfully reflects an economy trying to rebuild itself. Aside from many unfinished projects and roads, litter and pollution are a real problem.
“This is an opportunity to help the community back home through providing investment and employment where these are much needed…” – Mahanta (Monty) Shrestha, Owner Monty’s, which marks Best Western International’s entry into Kathmandu
Asked how A&K has done since returning to Nepal, A&K India managing director, Vikram Madhok, said: “Nepal certainly needs to upgrade all tourism-related product and civic infrastructure – hotels, vehicles, guides, small planes, etc – which suffered for several years with the tourism decline.”
Added Madhok: “Feedback from clients currently visiting Nepal is mixed. We will only be able to scale our numbers with high-end travellers once Nepal is truly ready. Only then will we include Nepal in main series linking North India and Nepal as we did 10 to 15 years ago.”
Marco Polo Reisen’s managing director, Holger Baldus, expressed similar sentiments.
“Nepal needs to work on its infrastructure. None of the Nepalese airports, not even the Kathmandu international airport, is equipped with ILS System. Fatal accidents are common in the domestic flight market, which is why we have stopped using any domestic flight in Nepal since a few years now. Unfortunately we don’t see any improvements.
“Outside the backpacker and trekking business, tourism in Nepal is currently reduced to a handful of destinations: Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara and Chitwan. The country definitely has much more to offer, but travel advisories on the political situation in Nepal, issued by various foreign offices, including Germany, limit our operations.”
Product investment, however, is returning, including efforts by Nepalese entrepreneurs abroad and locally. One such investor is Mahanta (Monty) Shrestha, chairman of Khukuri Beer UK, who is building his first hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu’s shopping and F&B district popular with tourists.
“This is an opportunity to help the community back home through providing investment and employment where these are much needed, in a beautiful top-end of the world,” Shrestha said.
The 60-room hotel, named Monty’s after the owner, is scheduled to open in the last quarter and will be a Best Western property.
“Best Western is the suitable brand for it because of its quality yet affordable image – there is a dire need for that level of hotels in developing countries,” said Shrestha. “This will be the first hotel of more to come. We hope to help (Nepal), in partnership with Best Western, although this project is more ‘Best Eastern’!”
The Dwarika’s Group, meanwhile, is building a luxury resort, Dwarika’s Resort Dhulikhel, just 45 minutes’ drive from the established Dwarika’s Hotel in Kathmandu. This will enable the group to combine a conservation experience with a luxurious spa and resort experience set amid Himalayan flora and fauna.
Dwarika’s Hotel Kathmandu
Dwarika’s Upadhyay said far from just a trekker’s wishlist or backpacker’s haven, Nepal had potential for high-end tourism.
“The baby-boomers are not that affected by the European debt crisis. Often, they are not able to trek, but are deeply interested in the culture and heritage of Nepal,” she said.
“Apart from our established markets – Germany, the UK, the US and Japan – we’ve been seeing more guests (at Dwarika’s Hotel Kathmandu) from Latin America. The rise of Bhutan is also helping, as Europeans often travel to Bhutan via Nepal.”
Nepal alone, she said, could satisfy sophisticated eco-minded tourists, if only overseas tour operators could be encouraged to go beyond the usual Nepal golden triangle of Kathmandu-Pokhara-Chitwan.
“Eighty per cent of tourists who are not trekking do this, but the beauty of Nepal lies in places in higher altitudes that predate tourism, such as Dolpo. The problem is, overseas tour operators themselves do not really understand the culture or there’s fear of the unknown, plus such places are expensive due to permits and high costs of helicopter transportation,” she said.
Meanwhile, for trekkers, a new tour, The Guerrilla Trek, was launched in October last year.
A two- to four-week hike that stretches across central and western Nepal, the trail hopes to draw in more foreigners as Nepal seeks to rebuild its economy. A journey through the heartland of post-conflict territory, the route passes through Myagdi, Rukum and Rolpa, spectacular districts with low population density at the epicentre of Nepal’s 10-year conflict and homeland to many revolutionaries.
Trekkers are able to see captivating natural scenery, diverse cultures, remnants of the war and become familiar with the recent history of Nepal.
The trail research is promoted by the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal and Nepal Tourism Board.
The board is currently promoting Nepal as “the next-generation mountain destination for weekend breaks, adventure holidays and lifetime experiences for people who live in cosmopolitan cities and travel internationally”.
If stability continues and product/infrastructure investment picks up further, it could well live up to its new branding, Naturally Nepal, once is not enough.
