The basics matter Nepal is a field example as to how political wrangling can have the impacts on tourism dubbed as a sustainable sector. The sensitive nature of the industry is reflected through the rise or fall in the tourist arrivals according to the prevalent peace and security in the country, which is directly proportional to the degree of political events like bandhs, protests and such in one part or another of the country at any given point of time. Yet, the political parties in general and the government in particular do not seem to be paying the attention requisite to developing tourism by creating the conducive environment for the visitors to enjoy their stay in the country free from any type of fear or inconvenience. The regularity with which disturbances are taking place in the country can only send confusing signals to the tourist generating markets. At a time when the global recession has eaten into the number of international travelers, the effects are being felt more in Nepal with only a few dropping in most of whom are budget travelers with minimal length of stay and thereby less expenditure for the country. However, despite the past insurgency days and the regular state of political turmoil that remains a permanent fixture, mountain tourism has withstood all the bad air. In fact, reflection shows that tourism in Nepal began in earnest with mountain tourism with expedition teams making their entry starting in the early 1950s, when the doors of the country were opened free for visitors. The success on the highest peak of the world was the big mega event that spread the message of the tourists’ paradise or Shangri-la that Nepal was. And this very tourism segment has remained almost unscathed by all the upheavals that the country has seen. To get into the specifications, adventure tourism has more to offer the country in terms of earnings through longer stay of the visitors and employment generation avenues including ancillary activities. With eight of the over-8000m peaks in the country amidst the long Himalayan range straddling the northern part of the country, the lure will remain forever. But, the task at hand is its promotion to make gains for the people and the country. Without making efforts by developing appropriate and new tourism products we stand to lose. The first and foremost task is to go for an aggressive promotion and publicity bid in all the tourist generating markets. But, that has to be conveniently backed up by relevant tourist-friendly policies and programmes. It may be worthwhile mentioning the royalty fees for scaling the innumerable peaks in country besides the familiar ones. Even considering the most sought after peaks like Sagarmatha, Lhotse, Manaslu, Dhaulagari among others, the climbing permits are expensive if comparision is made with what is applicable in India, Pakistan and Tibet. If only the royalty fees for expeditions were reconsidered to make it more competitive, more climbers would be attracted to come to Nepal to go for the adventurous sports. Besides other logistical arrangements, the climbing fees have to come down.

Myopic vision Shortsighted and ad hoc planning seems to be our forte. The long term strategy is just too much for the cool nerves that we tend to possess. If that had not been the case, a fragile makeshift bridge would not have come up across the Bagmati river in Sinamangal when the original heavy duty bridge was damaged due to the illegal sand mining at and around its base. The diversion was built with the least bit of foresight as to its standing capacity. Even though it might have been a temporary structure, all the necessary inputs should have been made so that it could stay strong for a few years. The diversion construction seems to have followed the same pattern as that of the quickfix manner in which potholes are fixed during the late hours of the ending month of the fiscal year. As is evident, those maintenance works are not supposed to last long during the monsoon rains, despite the claims on the contrary. It all leads to the waste of resources and the false sense of relief to the people. The way the renovated roads peel off within a few weeks, if not a few days, is a pitiable sight for all the investment that has been poured into it. The washed away makeshift bridge reminds one of how metro amenities are taken so lightly.