Rafting to operate for tourism promotion

Phagu rafting festival-2067 is to take place in Trishuli for the promotion of tourism.

Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (NARA), organizing a press conference on Monday, informed that rafting will be brought into operation from coming March 20.

NARA is organizing the rafting festival this time in a different manner keeping in mind the Nepal Tourism Year, informed at the press conference.

Rafting will be operated from Malinga to Jogimara with the objective of providing maximum entertainment to internal and external tourists as well as generating income, according to NARA Chairperson Natikaji Thapa.

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GHT to be declared the official trail of NTY

The government is declaring the newly Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) as an official trekking trail of the Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011 campaign.

An official of Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation on Friday told Republica that all technical works to this effect have been completed and that they were waiting for the cabinet´s approval.

“We have completed necessary groundwork. We are waiting for the cabinet to endorse it,” said Ranjan Krishna Aryal, joint secretary at MoTCA.

The government is also working on to put the complete trail – which spans 1,700 kilometers – in Global Positioning System (GPS).

“With the announcement of GHT as the official trail of the NTY 2011 campaign, the government will focus more on its promotion and development,” Aryal said, adding that the government is planning to encourage private sector to invest in unreached areas of the trial by developing basic infrastructure.

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Tourist arrivals to Pokhara up

Tourist arrivals to Pokhara in 2010 increased by 13.39 percent, as compared to arrival figures recorded a year earlier.

According to Pokhara Tourism Office, the lake city welcomed a total of 230,799 tourists in 2010, 27,272 more than what it had welcomed in 2009.

“We have been witnessing rise in number of tourists every year. The number can increase further if we focused more on promotional programs at both national and international level,” Giridhari Dhakal, chief of the office, told Republica. Dhakal further added that Pokhara aims to attract 500,000 tourists in 2011.

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Government of Nepal Revised Mountaineering Royalty Fee.

Government of Nepal has reduced mountaineering royalty fee in a bid to make it more competitive amongst the neighboring countries, promote mountains lying in remote and less privileged areas, and create environment to transform the seasonal mountaineering business operational round the year and materialize the concept of ‘Nepal for all Seasons’. The government has decided to Implement Incremental. Royalty Break-down System (IRDS), a system under which permit fee increases with the increase in number of climbing members, on all mountains instead of lump sum per expedition having climbing members seven or less than that.

• Provide discount of 50% in Winter and Summer Season and 75% in Autumn Season keeping intact the Royalty Fee in Spring Season.
• Increase the number of climbing member in an expedition from 12 to 15.
• Provide 100% discount on Royalty fee for mountains located in mid and far Western Development Regions for 5 years.

A. Everest (8,848m)