Kathmandu :

The post 9/11 phases saw drastic drop in the movements of the travellers all over the world affecting the tourism industry globally. Most developing countries including Nepal could not remain unaffected by this. Added to it is the media hype created by the Western Press about security conditions in Nepal that has made many countries issue strict travel advisory for their citizens not to travel Nepal. However, travellers in this country have never been targeted for offence or taken hostages, and the current movement was for nothing other than greater political freedom.

Travelling to Nepal is not as dangerous as reported. Nepalis are pursuing enduring peace through political process as normally happens in any country. Travellers are treated as gods here and people exercise enough caution to make sure travellers are not caught in between.

Nepal is as a safe destination for travellers as it used to be. This is evident in the experiences shared by recent travellers in nepaltraveladvice.com. It is for the media to believe that travelling promotes peace and prosperity. Peace is the soul-searching process and travelling is the best means to do so. Adventure is the greatest fun of travelling. Nepal’s alluring and rugged landscapes, friendly people and the challenging mountains to name a few, offer the element of adventure.

Travelling serves as an important means for people, cultures, and individuals to meet, communicate and interact with each other. Unfortunately travelling has not yet become a two-way traffic among the rich and the poor countries. To promote real understanding of developed societies and their cultures, more and more people of developing countries should be able to travel. But lack of purchasing power limits their capacity. Thus, the images and impressions of the western people and their cultures, gained through the digital media remain different from the realities. Travelling becomes the global means to shed our prejudices.

The portal www.travelnepal.org urges all to have highest regards for following:

• Already fragile nature of global eco-systems

• Need for integrating green energy use in the rural and urban areas

• Continuous education and awareness pursuits on key environmental issues

• Making travelling easy and possible globally

• Gearing tourism towards impacting the poorest people the most

• Other relevant issues as they emerge.