Why is tourism important in Nepal?

Why is tourism important in Nepal?


A small country with rich diversified culture that is set up against dramatic scenery in the world, Nepal has been established as a land of discovery and unique experience. Nepal can be an ideal destination for a broad-minded individual who values authentic experiences with mesmerizing remembrance. Popular for its stately Nature with a lavishing Himalayan Background, Nepal has caught the attraction of foreigners from around the years.
We define tourism as gathering services along with industries that carry a travel experience, including transportation, accommodations, eating and drinking, retail shops, entertainment businesses, activity facilities and other hospitality services provided for individuals or groups traveling to a foreign land. Nepal being a small country, tourism plays a significant role to enhance the country’s economy.
There is no denying to calling Nepal as one of the most beautiful countries and a major tourist destination in the world. This mountainous country is also blessed with rivers, green forests and awe-inspiring view of the Himalayas. The profuse biodiversity with multi-cultural identity are some of the assets of the country, which could easily lure tourists.
Nepal is the country of Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world, and the Birthplace of Gautama Buddha- Lumbini. Mountaineering and other types of adventure tourism alongside ecotourism are important attractions for visitors. There are other important religious pilgrimage sites throughout the country for the followers of various religions
In Nepal, wilderness and voyage activities such as mountain biking, bungee jumping, rock climbing and mountain climbing, trekking, hiking, bird watching, mountain flights, are considered to be major tourism activities. Besides these,ultralight aircraft flights, paragliding as well as hot air ballooning over the mountains of the Himalaya, hiking and mountain biking, exploring the waterways by raft, kayak or canoe and jungle safaris especially in the Terai region are famous among the tourists.
Since Nepal is a multi-religious society, religious sites could be an aspect that lures tourists to the country. The chief religion in Nepal is Hinduism, and the Pashupatinath Temple, which is the world’s one of the main Hindu religious sites are located in Kathmandu, attracts many pilgrims and tourists. 
Buddhism is another main religion. The World Heritage site Lumbini, which is the place where Gautam Buddha was born, is an important pilgrimage site. Another noticeable Buddhist site is Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, in Kathmandu. There are several other religious sites depicting Hinduism that may be an interest of visit to many travelers.
Known as a sacred place for Hindus, Dang valley has a variety of temples for Hindu devotees. Kalika and Malika Devi in Chhillikot hill, Ambikeshwar temple, Krishna temple, Dharapani temple etc. are sacred places in Dang district.
An amazing  place for sightseeing and also an ancient palace of a king, Chilikot hill offers different religious aspects. Located in Muktinath Valley in the Mustang district, te Muktinath temple is established as a sacred place for Hindus and Buddhists.
Another possible factor attracting tourists to this beautiful land of cultural heritage sites. Within a 7 km radius there are 7 sites listed on the World Heritage Site list (Pashupatinath Temple, Baudhanath Stupa, Swayambhunath Stupa, Changunarayan Temple, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar Square) which cannot be found anywhere but in the city of temples, Kathmandu.
The city of temples, Kathmandu   varieties of museums with a rich collection of archaeologically and historically important artworks. Full of art, architecture, and culture,  Kathmandu Valley is a prime destination for the tourists. As Nepal is a land of festivals and celebrations, visitors can experience how a culturally diverse and rich society of Nepal grooms in harmony.
Tourism plays a major role not just in revitalizing the country’s tourism sector but helps build a good foundation for the country’s economy as well. In this article, we will be discussing some of the huge roles played by tourism for the overall development and enhancement of the country.
The first reason why tourism is important is that traveling in the country has a lot of advantages for people living in those areas. As the travelers walk through local settlements on the designated trails, they eventually end up spending time at various places. The travelers end up spending a few bucks and these things gradually help the locals to sustain their economy.
Economy is another aspect of Nepal’s desirability regarding developing the tourism sector. With nearly more than 7.5 percent of Nepal’s GDP trusting on tourism, Nepal is very much dependent upon foreign currency for its annual budget & growth.
 Furthermore, annual Economic Impact Research report has even suggested that tourism will account for 8.3 percent of Nepal’s entire GDP in 2027. So, as you can see, for Nepal,  the tourism field has a lot to play in the country's economy because it is  a large source of amassing large amounts of money which can be used in the annual budget for development of Nepal’s infrastructure.
Here are some of the main importance of tourism in Nepal:
 A significant source of income:
As we know, the international tourism is a significant source that helps to sustain the failing economy of the country. In 2016 alone, 177 billion Nepalese rupees was pumped to the nation's economy by the tourism sector. According to the same report, the statistics shows that Nepal has been ranked 37th country to where the tourism directly contributes to GDP among 185 involved countries. 
In the year 2017, the tourism sector contributed 8% of Nepal’s GDP that would sum up to 220 billion Nepalese rupees. With the statistics marching upwards this figure is likely to go up to 8.25 by 2028. These official figures indicate that tourism has been and will always be a major pillar to sustain Nepal’s economy.
 
2.                  Employment Opportunities:
According to the report generated  through the agency of the World travel and tourism council in the year 2018, Travel and tourism has generated around 500 thousand (3.2% of the total employment) direct jobs in 2017. The figure is expected to rise to  4% by 2019 and by 2018 it is expected to gain an increment of 2.11%. If these stats are to be believed, there is a promising future ahead of us in the field of Tourism in Nepal and has a direct impact on the nation's economy.
3.                  Upliftment of living standard:
In 2017 alone, the consumption by the internal tourism was Rs.168.7 billion according to the report of the World Travel and Tourism Council. This consumption includes food and lodging during treks, porter costs and so forth.
 Famous for its adventurous tourism, the expenses in local places is likely to boost their living standards too. Furthermore, as an integral part of a rural tourism, “homestay” has helped the locals to earn extra cash while promoting the local tourism.
4.                  The increment in local trade:
One of the major dreams of the foreigners is to shop in exotic markets of Nepal. The streets of Thamel during the months of October to March is filled by tourists from all over the world. They have seen busy shopping either some antique handicrafts or a pashmina shawl or a singing bowl. Anything they purchase indirectly aids in the local trade.
5.                  Publicity of hidden treasures:
Everyone is well aware of Pokhara and its beauty. Same can be said in the case of ABC (Annapurna Base Camp) or Everest base camp (EBC). But there are many other heavenly places in Nepal such as unexplored trek route, new river for rafting, a new place for paragliding and so forth. These hidden treasures can be uncovered to the world only through the publicity which is best done by Tourism.
 Once known as a Loner nation, Nepal was not open for anyone. Today, millions of tourists enjoy the beautiful landscapes, birds, and animals. Therefore, only the tourism industry can reveal the hidden potentials such as honeymoon in Nepal.
6.                  Preservation of Cultural heritages:
When the earthquake of 2015 devastated most of the cultural heritage of Kathmandu, international communities stood up to lend their hands in the reconstruction of that iconic heritage. One of the core reasons for that is to preserve the cultural site for observation by the future generation. This shows that tourism helps in the conservation of old and culturally significant part of our history.
Nepal has been blessed with a combination of landscapes, cultures, and mystique that makes it undoubtedly one of the world's foremost shrines for environmental and ethnic tourism. How the government will utilize this potential economic goldmine and how it will deal with such issues as foreign exchange leakage, regional economic dominance, issues of local independence within national planning frameworks, and the stresses of social, cultural, and environmental change are still largely in the formative stages of policy. 
Tourism nevertheless has the potential to play a large role in Nepalese development, both directly through employment created and money injected into the economy, as well as indirectly through government investment of tourism-obtained revenues in national and local development of agriculture and industry and the further elaboration of the tourist infrastructure itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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