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KATHMANDU, JUNE 15
For the past few days, I have been biking down on my electric scooter to the city of devotees to escape the garbage strewn all over the other tourist paradises, viz. Kathmandu and Lalitpur.
I keep to the left edge of the road, but the swerving buses screeching to a halt in front of me without any warning lights drive me mad. I find the right edge of the lane too dangerous. The left edge keeps me safe also from the thug bikers that overtake from the left side, which I thought was illegal.
I like Bhaktapur, and I think it is an example of a perfect tourist paradise. Even while garbage is flying all over Kathmandu, Bhaktapur is relatively clean.
The city will be squeaky clean to welcome tourists who pay a US$15 entrance fee. The entrance charge does not bother the visitors, who know good things in life do not come free.
Of course, Bhaktapur deserves a higher fee. It is the only place in the Valley where tourists can sample an authentic Newari Nepali culture, including living festivals harking back centuries.
An unemployed Ph.D. scholar from Germany, a friend who spent two weeks at home during the Nepali New Year, put together precious 15 dollars for a memorable visit.
From mid-July, vibrant and colourful festivities will fill the Bhaktapur calendar. The carnival, dedicated to the dead, is lively beyond description. Revelers dressed as clowns and jesters perform sticks and other dances to the rhythm of the thumping Nepali drums.
Agrarian Bhaktapur has suffered massive tourism losses from the impact of COVID-19, too. The locals report that the Nepali New Year heralded a healthy growth in tourist arrivals.
The monsoon that entered Nepal a week earlier this year traditionally pulls the curtain down on the tourist season.
We need some value additions to woo visitors in the coming season. Thailand has legalised cannabis to lure tourists.
The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal will have to do something similar to fight for tourists whose demand is high and supply low. We will have to adjust our fees and tariffs to match the rising cost stemming from the war. High-value destinations like Bhaktapur can keep the tourists flowing, and for its efforts, tourists would not hesitate to pay a higher entrance fee to keep the city in an impeccable state.
The Borobudur Temple in Indonesia, a UNESCO heritage, charges US$5 to domestic tourists and US$25 to foreigners.
The Indonesian government postponed the proposed hikes in fees recently – US$100 for foreigners and US$71 for local tourists who want to climb up the temple stairs. We, too, need to charge local tourists for enjoying Bhaktapur.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 16, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
