What Nepal offers and preparation for Visit Nepal Year 2020.
Tourism has been one of the leading Industries since the country opened its door to International travellers in 1950s. Nepal is rich in terms of both natural and cultural assets. With eight out of ten highest mountains around the world including Mt Everest lies in Nepal. Since the very first ascent of Mt. Everest, Nepal became famous for mountaineering and expedition to the outside world. In addition, the birth place of Gautama Buddha in Nepal has a significant aid to great flow of Buddhist travellers.
With the grand success of Visit Nepal 1998 and Nepal tourism year 2011 campaign, Nepal has yet again came with Visit Nepal Year 2020 vision. Government has anticipated welcoming 2 million annual tourist arrivals by 2020.
Preparation for Visit Nepal 2020!
The government of Nepal is working rigorously to ensure a successful tourism period till 2020. The Tourism Board set a target of 2 million tourist arrival in 2020. Currently, the country sees nearly one million tourist visitors yearly and expects to double this number promoting Visit Nepal Campaign aggressively. At the moment, the tourism board is running Visit Nepal 2020 campaigns supported by ambassadors and diplomats of Nepal in foreign countries.
By VNY 2020, the government plan to operate two new International Airport, Pokhara and Lumbini and introduce new Airbus 330-200 to provide airline services to a large number of tourists. The government has already started to run Tribhuwan International Airport 21 hours to ensure availability of services to incoming and departing tourists.
The private hotel sector has planned to add 4000 new rooms in four and five-star category in Kathmandu, Chitwan, and Pokhara. Many new international chain hotels, Hilton, Double Tree, Marriott International, Aloft Kathmandu Thamel are operating within the year.
Some reasons to visit Nepal in 2020
Nepal is a dream adventure country for each traveler from the world. The high Himalayas, green forest, beautiful lakes, and varieties of culture, wildlife, white rivers and adventure treks are always welcoming to the tourist in Nepal. Nepal is a safe country as well as affordable to visit for any one from budget to luxury. So, what are you looking for? In this article we are writing 11 reasons.
1. 10 World Heritage Sites
Kathmandu is the home of World heritage sites. In Kathmandu valley alone there are seven UNESCO sites. Out of Kathmandu There are three sites Lumbini, Sagarmatha National park and Chitwan National park. So, If you make a plan to visit Nepal you will have many opportunities to explore the UNESCO heritage sites, a visit to Nepal is a right choice which will give you a big jump. It is great opportunities where in a single day tour in Kathmandu offers you 7 world heritage sires with different architecture values.
2. 8 world highest peak over 8000 meter including Mt. Everest
If you are a mountain lover and willing to see the granitic peaks then Nepal would be the first choice. It is the home of world highest mountains. Out of the 14 peaks above 8000 meters Nepal have 8 peaks including Mt. Everest (the highest peak in world).
3. 35 popular trekking routes
Nepal is the ultimate adventure destination for trekkers and mountaineering lovers. Every year’s more than 200000 trekkers visit this country for the purpose of trekking. There are many trekking routes where some are easy and short for panoramic views and cultural attributes as well some trekking is hard because of remoteness and high altitude. In total there are 35 trekking routes in Nepal which are opened and survey by Nepal government. Out of them there are many trekking routes which are not explored and survey. Trekking in Nepal is great opportunity to explore the beautiful mountain views, green forest, verities of local culture, test of local foods, verities of wildlife and more.
4. 100 + beautiful lakes
Nepal has more than 200 lakes with a glacier origin including Tilicho Lake in Annapurna (Located in world highest elevation) and Gokyo Lake (the world highest freshwater lake system) which often gives a stunning, vividly blue color. The ranges of lakes are rapidly gratifying being close to cities and some lakes are far for the cities which takes couple of days walk.
5. Diversity and acceptance of religion
Most of the Nepali people practices Hinduism but there is a heavy Buddhism influences, and also some are Islam, Kiratism, and Christianity in Nepal. Because of diversity of religion and multiculturalism, travelling to the different parts of Nepal and experiences local values is an enlightening and shows what a unique place to visit.
6. Cultural variation
The cultures found in Nepal are rich and unique in the world. The cultural heritage of Nepal loaded over the centuries. There are verities of cultural aspects in Nepali ethnic, tribe and social groups which are expressed by music and dance, arts and crafts, language and literature, festival and celebration, foods and drinks.
7. 10 National parks, 6 Conservation area, 1 Hunting Reserve and 2 Wildlife Reserve
Nepal offers wide variety of flora and fauna that has been consider as the Best collection in the planet. The government of Nepal has separated 10 sites as national peak which are hub of natural property and geographic variation, 2 wildlife reserves which are hub of wild animals and 1 Hunting reserve for trophy hunting and 6 conservation areas. The forest and protected areas are known for exotic snow leopard, the elusive royal Bengal Tiger, the endangered one-horn rhino, national bird lophophorus and thousands of species of birds and butterflies.
8. With over 10,000 species of birds and wild animals
Nepal offers the great altitude variation in the planet. The lowest altitude is about 60 meters and highest is the summit of Mt Everest 8848 meters. The variation of altitude has resulted in great climate and biological diversity. So, Nepal is best places for birds in the whole Planet. It offers over 900 species of birds which is 10 % of the whole planet, makes Nepal is a paradise for birding.
9. 50 + rivers for white water rafting
Nepal is a mountainous and second rich country for water in the planet. The country lies in the south of Himalayan range and many rivers are origin from Himalayas. The main sources of rivers are lake, snow, and rain. During the summer snows melts and due to these rivers are full water throughout the year. Most of the rivers are famous for adventure rafting. There are more than 50+ big rivers where rafting is organized for the tourist.
10. Peace and serenity
The birth place of Lord Buddha Nepal is influence by Buddhist religion. There are plenty of lakes and stunning views. Nepalese are always happy people and Nepal itself has been considered a scared place for many years. This is where to go but if you wants to go away from it its entire spiritual and perfectly allows some quite meditation whether you are trekking, temple-tour or gazing over a still, glass-like lake.
11. Its affordable
Nepal is a surprisingly affordable destination for travelers. With low budget, you can enjoy your trip by using good hotel, choice of foods and activities. Of course there are very expensive hotels and restaurants in city areas but even with these you will get best room and services. Along with this you will get very affordable price for activities like trekking, tour, Jungle safari, rafting, paragliding, mountain flights etc. So, If the money if your Everest or Nepal there will no problem for you.
What are the unique/organic tourism products of Nepal?
Nepal is always known around the world for its mountains and as a birth place of Lord Gautama Buddha. But Nepal has a lot of other unmatched activities to offer. Some of which are discussed below:
Filming locations
Due to its diverse topographical structure, Nepal is paradise for those involved in filming. Nepal offers the spectacular location for film productions. The possible locations for filming could be Mountains, rivers, natural parks, lakes, cultural heritage sites and many more. Each year many foreign film makers, crew, production companies flew to Nepal. The unique traditions, cultural sites, parks, landscapes, flora and fauna are being chosen for film shooting. Film makers and filming companies are always looking for the best locations that match their stories which include culture, ethnicity, and different races of people, languages, traditions, festivals, adventure and landscape of the particular location. There are some local filming companies (including Liberty Films) in Nepal to provide all the necessary arrangement including filming permits, customs clearance, logistics, cast, crew and equipment.
Spiritual, yoga and mediation
Nepal is scared place where various Hindu, Buddhist gods and goddess mediated and got enlightens. Thus, it is the matter of pride and honor for all the spiritual, yoga, meditation lovers around the world to come to Nepal and practice yoga and meditation. For those seeking these activities, there are a lot of monasteries, private centers in and around Kathmandu offering the classes, course or sessions to help you relax and find inner peace. Mediation is becoming popular around the world. More and more people are taking such courses as it has many positive sites.
Destination wedding
Marriage is most auspicious ceremony for both Hindu and Buddhist people living in Nepal. Hindu and Buddhist both believe on rebirth. Both of these religions believe that marriage is once in life time ceremony and supposed to continue for seven more rebirths of both bride and groom. With this beliefs many foreigners performs their marriage ceremony in Nepal just like the Nepali way and system. The wedding ceremony is performed by Astrologers/priests in accordance to the bride and the groom's star signs. The main feature of the weddings is that it should take place on the earth under a canopy known as Mandap with a sacred fire center of it. Both bride and groom perform special puja (rituals). After the marriage ceremony, bride and groom are taken in chariot or basket in village or cars in city area towards grooms home. The traditional music in the form of Panche Baja, folk songs and dance are still most popular among people as on this sacred day they believe that playing traditional music strengthens the nuptial knot, pleases God and not least of all it makes the environment pleasant and charming.
Buddhist wedding is a bit different than Hindus. Buddhist weddings in Nepal focus on ceremonial displays, and are often quieter occasions. The weddings are usually extremely large, sometimes encompassing whole villages and large numbers of extended family. Commonly Buddhist marriages are performed at monastery. Traditional dress is worn by both bride and groom, and Lama (Monk) does all puja (worship) of the wedding. The butter lamp lit at the monastery during wedding day is quite attractive. The music played during this occasion is traditional and different from modern music which makes environment pleasant and soothes mind.
Sustainable | Responsible travel
During visit Nepal 2011, Nepal government introduced homestay program to accommodate one million tourists expected to arrive in that year. The main purpose of introducing this program was to uplift the living standards of local people, to provide employment opportunities to people living in host community and to tackle the scarcity of hotels, resort on many touristic areas of Nepal. In homestay program, tourist lives with host families which facilitates the local families to earn by working at their homes, and at the same time allows tourists to enjoy the hospitality of the local people, while learning and exchanging cultural elements. To setup homestay, host family’s had to meet some basic standard set by government i.e. some basic improvements on toilet and bathroom facilities besides other decorations and reconstructions. This helped availability of lodging facilities in remote and exotic areas previously lacking any form of accommodation. Thus, the traditional trend of exploring Nepal by staying in lodges or camping on open grounds was much substituted by homestays. Sirubari in Syanja and Ghalegaun in Lamjung were the first places to introduce this type of approach in Nepal. Community homestays and private homestays are two types adopted in Nepal which represent the usage of either the community building or private houses. Meals are prepared from locally available vegetables and livestock. This encourages using local product rather than importing them.
Why to choose Liberty Holidays for Visit Nepal Year 2020?
We, Liberty Holidays, proudly present a team of highly professional, enthusiastic and experienced travel experts over 25 years experienced. We work in a bright open-plan office where we share our knowledge with each other for the benefit of all our valued customers. From our modest beginning in 2010, we have evolved into one of the country’s leading travel enterprises. Thanks to the enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work put in by each and every member of Liberty Holiday’s family to position itself as a trend setter in travel services. We want to delight your travel in every possible ways and ensure that our team of dedicated travel specialists will exceed your thoughts on what customer service should be like and travel more and more with us. Wherever you wish to go, we’ll implement every feasible measure to ensure that you travel with utmost convenience and safety. The management and staff at Liberty Holidays welcome the opportunity to work with you for all your travel needs. So, we would like appeal to all the travelers around the globe to travel Nepal in 2020 and of course every year.
We believe on ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ which means for us our Guest is a God. We once again re-welcome you to travel with us.
Ram Bahadur Ghale is CEO and Founder of Liberty Holidays and also is Nepal Chapter President of American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA).
