TAAN concerned on Upper Mustang, Dolpo issues

A delegation of Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) met with Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat Singh Bhandari and expressed concerned over the decision of the people of Upper Mustang to bar trekkers from entering the area from October 1.

It also drew the government's attention over the Dolpa District Development Committee's decision to collect Rs 500 each from trekkers to Dolpo region from the coming season.

The delegation also said the imposition of additional fees and obstructions on popular trekking routes could make negative impact on the tourism industry ahead of Nepal Tourism Year 2011.

Locals of Upper Mustang a few days ago had decided to bar trekkers to the region, stating that the Home Ministry hadn't released 60 percent of the royalty fee collected from trekkers for development works at the local level, despite expressing commitment to do so.

Responding to the delegation, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat Singh Bhandari said they would raise the issue before the Home Ministry and Local Development Ministry.

Interaction on new tourism products

Nepal Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) on 18 August organized an interaction on new and potential tourism products in the country. On the interaction, Dr Siddhartha Bajra Bajrachara, executive officer of NTNC, made a PowerPoint presentation on tourism potentials in the newly declared Gaurishankar Conservation Area in the Rolwaling Region. "Since the area is a newly developed conservation area, it holds tremendous possibility for tourism development. Apart from breathtaking views of mountain peaks in the Rolwaling range, the reason is famous for glacial lakes like Tso Rolpa and can be developed as corridor for wild species in Sagarmatha National Park," Bajracharya said in his presentation. Gaurishankar Conservation Area covers 2,179 sq km and 22 village development committees in Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk and Solukhumbu districts.

After the presentation, various speakers criticized the government for neglecting Rolwaling region which was the gateway to Mt Everest in the early years.

Similarly, Lal Prasad Gurung, director of Annapurna Conservation Area, made a presentation on Sustainable Tourism Development in the Annapurna Conservation Area. "As the advent of roads is shortening trekking routes in the region, we are identifying and developing alternative routes in coordination with Trekking Agencies' of Association Nepal (TAAN)," he added. Making a presentation on 'Manaslu: A Unique Mountain Tourism Destination', Madhu Chhetri, chief of Manaslu Conservation Area, said new trekking routes like Tsum Valley have been developed in the region to attract more visitors to the region. "Organisations like TAAN have been supporting us to develop new routes in the region," Chhetri added.

Prachanda Man Shrestha, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, said Nepal nature-based tourism is Npeal's unique selling point and that Nepal has been successfully taking conservation and tourism hand in hand.

Bhaktapur Municipality to hike entry fee to Durbar Square

Bhaktapur Municipality has decided to increase entry fee for foreign tourists visiting the country from the very first day of Nepal Tourism Year 2011.

Municipality sources say the entry fee is almost 100 percent higher than what the municipality has been collecting at present. The municipality will charge Rs 100 as entry fee for visitors from SAARC countries and Rs 1,000 from visitors from other countries from January 2011.

Bhaktapur, one of the seven UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley, is popular among foreign visitors for historic temples, palace complexes and ancient art, culture and tradition.

Buddha Air launching Paro flights from August 23

Buddha Air, one of the leading domestic airlines in the country, is expanding its wings to international skies with its maiden international flight to Paro in Bhutan from August 23. The airline will initially operate four flights a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday using an 18-seater Beech 1900D aircraft. Buddha Air plans to gradually increase the frequency to seven flights a week. The existing Air Service Agreement between Nepal and Bhutan allows both sides to have a maximum of seven flights a week between Kathmandu and Paro.

After launching flights to Bhutan, Buddha Air will also start preparations to fly to Indian cities of Patna, Lucknow and Kolkata. The airline is in the process of receiving a letter of designation from India's Ministry of External Affairs. The existing Air Service Agreement between Nepal and India allows Nepali airlines to operate flights to 26 destinations in India.

Oman Air to fly to Kathmandu

Oman Air has announced that it will start direct flights between Muscat and Kathmandu from September 2. The airlines hope that the flights would benefit Nepali workers who have been working in Oman. The airlines will fly four times a week to Kathmandu on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Apart from direct flights to Muscat, the airline will also offer connecting flight to other destinations like Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai in the UAE as well as other destinations in the Gulf and Europe. The airline plans to operate B737-700 aircraft on the route.