Opinion

Topics: Prospects of tourism

Topics: Prospects of tourism

By Neelu Subedi

When we talk about visiting new places it brings a new excitement and feeling, and we try wrapping up all our daily schedules at the earliest. Taking a break from a monotonous life has become a new trend in our society. It is not only confined to the elite groups but for a middle class family. Those who can afford can visit travel agencies and make flights abroad. Those who can’t can always promote domestic tourism. Those of us who can’t afford to explore flight destinations can promote domestic tourism in Nepal via trekking, hiking, rafting and enjoy life to the fullest. Internal tourism is the best alternate to bring a break in life and learn about the cultures and traditions from different parts of our country. Recently, I made a visit to “ Ghale gaun” . The place has its own identity and the beauty it covers is something unexplained by words. The sole purpose of my visit was refreshing myself, but when I reached there I learnt I was promoting internal tourism. We always can’t expect to have sufficient foreigners visiting such destinations, hence we as citizens who are aware should make plans to visit those places. The people there depend on domestic tourism for their livelihood, which means when we visit places like “ Siru bari” and “Ghale gaun” we consume their products which also raises their income. This is just an example of promoting rural products and enhancing the lifestyle of rural people. It’s always better when we can promote these destination in an international scenario, but conditions sometimes get worse and do not allow this. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council tourism contributes towards GDP in a significant manner, which also gives direct and indirect employment opportunities to the local people. A research reveals that an international tourist spends /consumes five times more than domestic tourists which gives direct benefits to the local communities. However, the question of sustainability arises. How much of the country’s national income is increased by promoting tourism? The loopholes are to be filled through the proper implementation of government plans and policies. Studies are to be made on the micro and macro levels. Tourism is often considered as an “industry without a chimney” which helps to boost foreign trade and the country’s economy which are major components for development. Thus, tourism can be both a source of international amenities, peace and understanding or a destroyer and corrupter of indigenous culture and a source of ecological destroyer and an assault on people’s privacy and dignity.