Tourist arrivals soar up by 12.9%
The
beginning of the New Year 2008 has heralded an
optimistic tourism growth in Nepal in 2008. The
data released by Immigration Office, TIA shows
that arrivals in January has grown by 12.9 %, up
by 2985 compared to the same month last year.
Although decline in the arrivals from India
(-12.2%) and Sri Lanka (-12.5%) have dragged down
the total arrivals from SAARC region by 7 %, the
European and North American markets have
registered robust growth of 33.1 % and 34.3 %
respectively. China (96.8%), S. Korea (5.1%),
Thailand (23.2 %) and Malaysia (12.1 %) have
posted a remarkable growth. It is very notable
that contribution of S. Korean market in the total
arrivals has come to be very significant. It has
contributed more than 10 % in the total arrivals
and; it is due to direct flight between Kathmandu
and Seoul. The Japanese market is down by 15.3 %
which could be due to irregular air service of
national flag carrier, NAC, to Japan.
All the European markets have shown positive
growth this month, except Austria (-7.5%). The UK
(33.9 %), France (78.5 %), Germany (4.5 %), Spain
(28.5 %), and Netherlands (36.5 %) have recorded a
significant growth showing increased consumer
confidence towards the destination.
It is expected that more tourists will travel to
Nepal in days to come because of easy
accessibility from long haul destinations and
forthcoming tourist season. Top
Situation Update
Nepal is now prepared for the Election of
Constituent Assembly on April 10, 2008. To make
it more participatory, election campaigns are
being held in the different parts of Nepal. In a
meeting organised by seven-party alliance (SPA)
on January 30, 2008 in Birgunj which is 276 kms
east of Kathmandu, minor bombs(Improvised
Explosive Device) went off outside the Narayani
Stadium. The blast injured dozens of people and
there is no report of human casualty in the
incident. Tourists were not injured in the
incident as Birgunj- a bordering town of Nepal
located close to Indian city of Raxual- is the
place not frequented by tourists.
Police is investigating on the issue and high
alert security is arranged around the area. The
security personnel have re-affirmed the
commitment for peace and security for the
Constituent Assembly Election.
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Nepal's first time participation in Nordic
Travel Fair MATKA 2008
Nepal Tourism Board along with four Nepalese
private travel companies namely Mountain
Adventure Trekking, Snowland Travel and Tours,
Makalu Adventure and Sahara Worldwide Travels
and Tours actively participated for the first
time in Nordic Travel Fair Matka 2008, the
biggest travel event in Nordic and Baltic
region, held from January 17 to 20, 2008 in
Helsinki, Finland.
Inaugurated by Dr. Paavo Vayrynen, Minister for
Foreign Trade and Development, Government of
Finland, the fair had good response from the
tour operators and professionals on the first
day specially those from nearby Estonia and St.
Petersberg. The next three days were aimed at
consumers, considering the trend of the Finnish
travelers who normally shop around for the
holiday destinations during winter. There were
1,100 exhibitors from 77 countries occupying the
space of 16,000 sq. meters. Visited by 9178 tour
operators and 85000 consumers, the fair showed
an encouraging prospect of Nepalese tourism in
Finnish as well as North European market.
A long feature article on Himalayas of Nepal and
cultural heritage in the MATKA issue of Panorama
magazine, written and edited by Mr. Reijo
Harkonen, Honorary PRR for NTB, fetched good
interest from quite a number of visitors in the
Fair. In addition to that, another beautiful
article published in "Helsingin Sanomat"-
popular daily newspaper with the circulation of
450,000 - on the third day of the fair, January
19, 2008 about Annapurna trekking made the
visitors even more curious about Nepal in
general and trekking in particular. Inquiries
about Nepal by the visitors were tremendous.
According to the response of the visitors, they
seemed more interested in trekking. Yet, other
natural and cultural products have not lost any
charm among the Finnish people.
There are more than 10 Nepalese Restaurants,
very much well known among the locals, in
Helsinki. Their observation about the Finnish
people's interest about Nepal shows a great hope
and prospect of the growth of Nepalese tourism
in Finland. In fact, they can be very good
platforms to increase the awareness about
Nepal's diverse tourism attractions. The active
Nepali diaspora in Finland have played a
significant role in generating public awareness
about Nepal and cultivating interests in them to
visit Nepal.
Finland's national carrier Finn Air has
published special fares for Helsinki/Delhi &
Helsinki/Mumbai sectors for MATKA 2008 making it
"Fast & Easy" travel to Nepal as well. Very soon
they are going to come out with a special Pro
Rata basis fare for Helsinki/KTM via Delhi. This
definitely is a positive sign that supports
NTB's first ever participation in Finland along
with the Nepalese travel trade.
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