KATHMANDU; Nepal needs to whitewash its image in the international market.

“Most foreigners, who have never come to Nepal, still do not know there is peace here now,” said Lothar Rueck, German managing director of Irish Pub in Lazimpat that is a joint venture between a Nepali and him.

“Nepal’s situation has changed — for the better — since the last couple of years but foreigners still have a hangover of the conflict,” he said adding that this perception has badly hit the tourism and service industry of Nepal. It could not be a better time than now as Nepal is preparing to celebrate Nepal Tourism Year 2011 targetting one million foreign tourists. Though Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has — in collaboration with Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) and Nepal Association

of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) — started the promotional campaign, it seems to have failed to send out the message that the situation in Nepal

has improved.

The government needs tap the international market and publicise the present situation of Nepal. It also needs to change the image lingering in the minds of foreigners, Rueck suggested.

There is a huge potential in Nepal in the service industry and in recent years a lot of foreign investment has come into the service industry — hotels and restaurants. “If the situation was so bad as portrayed by the international media, I would not have been here investing in a pub,” said the German who came to Nepal around a decade ago. Tourism is not only one of the major foreigner currency earners but also a major employment provider.

According to a report, every tourist that comes to Nepal generates employment — direct and indirect — for 11 locals. Similarly, the more the hotels and restaurants the more employment they generate for locals. Irish Pub — that offers genuine Irish and Nepali dishes — employs 16 Nepali youths.