Skydiving is an activity which could list Nepal as one of major tourist destinations of the world. Presently, skydiving activities are mostly concentrated in the Khumbu and Pokhara regions. The beautiful and incredible landscape of far western Nepal can be excellent destinations for skydiving, but they remain unexplored
Tourism, the mainstay of our national economy, contributed 3.6 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019, while generating more than $2.2 billion in foreign exchange. Nepal being home to 1,792 mountains above 5,800 metres, it is considered as the most appropriate destination for mountaineering. Although no conclusive study has been done, Nepal is also a happening destination for various adventure tourism activities.
Some adventure tourism activities already popular in Nepal are rafting, rock climbing, mountaineering, trekking, paragliding, skydiving, bungee jumping, canyoning and zip flying.
Among these adventure activities, mountaineering has gained a high level of professionalism although there are many corrective measures to be taken to develop it further. For tourism to remain as a major player of our national economy, diversification in the tourism business is important.
Skydiving is a highly thrilling activity just like bungee jumping, skiing, mountaineering and rock climbing. Jumping out of a plane and flying down towards the earth at the highest speed is crazy, but the thrilling experience and the amazing 360 degree panoramic view of the mountains that the skydivers take in cannot be explained in words.
The beautiful landscape, flora and fauna, waterfalls, rivers and unique human settlements make Nepal one of the must-see tourist destinations of the world.
Skydiving is an activity which could list Nepal as one of major tourist destinations of the world.
Presently, skydiving activities are mostly concentrated in the Khumbu and Pokhara regions. The beautiful and incredible landscape of far western Nepal can be excellent destinations for skydiving, but they remain unexplored.
Besides hosting the highest number of mountains in the world, it also has eight of the 14 peaks above 8,000 metres. Managing the needed infrastructure in these regions for skydiving could bring positive changes in the whole tourism scenario. Can't we brand Nepal as the best country for skydiving from above an eight thousander?
Skydiving starts with a leap or freefall from a plane or a chopper before deploying parachutes. Freefall means falling through the air with nothing to hold us back, making it a thrilling experience. There are many types of skydiving, but the most familiar ones are tandem skydiving and solo skydiving. In a tandem skydive, we jump along with an instructor who operates all the equipment to leave us relaxed and safe. Solo skydive means jumping with our own parachute with no instructor around.Another popular form is the belly skydive, in which the skydiver falls in a bellyto-earth position and creates shapes by holding on to one another's arms and legs. In wind suiting, skydiving is done in the sky with the usage of a specialised suit, which gives a look of a bird. In canopy relative work (CRW), skydivers open their parachutes as soon as they jump off the aircraft. The first parachute jump was done before the invention of the plane. It was October 22, 1797 when Andre-Jacques Garnerin jumped from a hydrogen balloon at 3,200 feet above Paris. In 1919, Leslie Irvin became the first person to do an international jump by using a ripcord-parachute system. Skydiving became a national sport in 1952 when soldiers returning from the world war expressed their willingness to give continuation to their career in skydiving.
Skydiving helps us to keep our mind focussed, build confidence, and enhance our strength and courage to face any challenge in life while pushing the limits to attempt any daring activity that comes in the mind. This was proved when four differently-abled UK war veterans – Hari Budha Magar, the double above-knee amputee; Martyn Compton and Dean Bousfiled, both seriously injured in the Afghan war; and John Chart, the person affected with the Moto Neurone disease - finished their two tandem skydives over Mt Everest in April 2022.
Parabellum Tactical Training, UK in coordination with Tsum Valley Treks and Expedition had organised this record breaking skydiving in the Everest region for them. Their successful skydiving reminds us of the quote by Napoleon Bonaparte: Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools.
These four courageous men flew in the air with heavy skydiving gear, releasing their parachutes only for safe landing. The development of the intense feeling of freedom within us leads to our growth, both physically and mentally.
As a result, the stress and worries that emerge in life can be ignored, helping us to experience life's beauty.
After following the long procedure to get a skydiving company registered, it takes at least one month to get permission from the ministries of tourism and home, the Sagarmatha National Park and finally the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal for skydiving. A number of taskforces have been formed and reports submitted with suggestions for the betterment of tourism, but they are still not followed.
Suggestions like management of a one-door policy for all tourism-related administrative procedure, making the liaison officer more reasonable and responsible, and analysing the pros and cons of having restricted and semi-restricted areas are still not executed. These simple suggestions, if implemented, will have a remarkable impact on the whole tourism sector. Therefore, concrete effort from the government is expected for creating a conducive environment where all the registered tourism businesses can operate conveniently without any hindrance.
Finally, statistics plays a vital role in formulating a nation-oriented policy to achieve the desired outcome with the minimum use of resource. It helps in identifying problems, formulating a strategic policy to address those problems and evaluating the outcomes to take corrective measures. The reason behind stressing the importance of statistical data is that we have them only on mountaineering and trekking.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 28, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
