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In recent times, tourism has been gaining popularity in most countries of the world, mainly because of the fast development in transport and communication.
In fact, tourists visit different countries according to their interest.
However, East Asia and Europe are the main points for the distribution of tourists around the world. No matter where they originate from, almost all tourists have their first step either in Europe or in East Asia. This is why countries like the Republic of Korea, Japan and Singapore have very high tourist populations at any given time, and it would be to Nepal's interest if they can be induced to visit here also in the future.
Tourism has been flourishing in Nepal for the past few decades, contributing about 5 percent to its gross domestic product.
However, it has not been able to gain as much as expected from this sector.
Nepal has unique cultural and natural heritage, most of which is still not explored, and it has a high potential as far as attracting tourists is concerned.
Many parts of the country, which are of touristic interest, are still not fully utilised due to the lack of sufficient infrastructure.
Involved in the tourist industry, apart from the tourism ministry, including its various agencies such as the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Development Board, are hotels, travel agencies and surface and air transport agencies.
Till now, there has not been satisfactory growth in the number of tourists visiting Nepal.
Actually, the survival of this industry itself lies squarely in the ability of the private sector and government organisations.
Actually, the government alone cannot spare the limited resources at its disposal to cater to the travel needs alone. The travel and tourism industry would do well to realise this fact and help the government in assisting to promote tourism in Nepal.
The development of a particular area as a tourist spot does not take the tourists there.
It is equally important to develop the infrastructures along with the development of any particular spot.
The three cities of the Kathmandu Valley - Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur - are said to be the living museums of Nepal. So, careful attention should be paid towards presenting their cultural heritage and ensuring that they do not become cities like any other in the world. They have their unique characters and should be maintained forever.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 25, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
