Kathmandu, December 22:

Buoyed by a growth in tourist arrivals in the last couple of months following the political settlement, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) appears to be getting more systematic and technical in its one-point objective of boosting tourism.

To begin with, for the first time, it’s come up with a plan for earmarking 2007 as ‘Visit Pokhara Year’. It is a clear bid to sub-brand a destination within Nepal by addressing consumers’ psychology. For, Pokhara with its hill station kind of appeal happens to be one of the most attractive destinations in Nepal for international as well as local tourists.

“Besides the scenic beauty of the Fish Tail mountain and the Fewa lake, Pokhara happens to be the gateway of various adventure activities,” pointed out NTB’s CEO Tek Bahadur Dangi. “It offers white water rafting, paragliding, riding the Ultra light, canyoning and of course trekking as it happens to be the starting point of treks into the Annapurna Circuit,” he added.

Moreover, the city is easily accessible, particularly for Indian tourists. “We realised Pokhara and India happen to be the best market fit and so we will be marketing Pokhara extensively in the coming year in that market,” admitted another official.

The board is currently in the process of finalising the details of the activities and events to be rolled out as part of the ‘Visit Pokhara Year’ campaign. It plans to rope in travel and tour operators to chalk out special packages for visiting Pokhara. The board is likely to come out with the entire blue print of the campaign in the coming week.

Meanwhile, another shift in the NTB strategy is going to be in terms of focusing primarily on those markets where Nepal has a comparative advantage vis-a-vis other countries, for

instance India.

“We have better air and surface connectivity with India than any European country. For there are about six airlines operating between the two countries,” said the CEO. Besides India, the board plans to focus on China, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and Dhaka in the coming year.