—Karna Shakya

Karna Shakya is one of the most noted tourism entrepreneurs of the country. The owner of Kathmandu Guest House and many other tourism ventures, Shakya spoke to SANJAYA DHAKAL on the prospects of tourism industry. Excerpts:

How do you feel about present developments and how have they affected the tourism industry?

I must say that I am a very optimistic person. However long and dark the night is, it cannot escape the light of morning. There are problems everywhere. We just have to learn to take these problems in our stride. Similar problems were witnessed by Sri Lanka, Philippines and so on. We must not lose heart.

So, what should we do?

This does not mean we can stay idle. In fact, we have to search for heaven even in hell. Opportunities exist in problems. Just the other day, I went to a restaurant with a friend. I was told that till few months ago it used to be a dance restaurant where the owners used scantily clad girls and vulgar dances to entice customers. But now it had been turned into a Dohari restaurant where talented singers engage in traditional singing competition and entertain their guests. This was because after the imposition of emergency, the dance restaurants were closed down and were replaced by these novel and good concepts.

How can we overcome the difficulties faced by the tourism sector?

There has to be a triangular approach. The government, the private sector and the public have to join hands, as all three are equal stake-holders of this industry. If we three join hands and work for the common objectives, no difficulty would be insurmountable.

You were the coordinator of the successful Visit Nepal Year (VNY) 1998. The government has declared the Destination Nepal Campaign this time. What do you say about its preparation?

During the VNY, we made sure that the public understood and became part of the campaign. We had the logos of VNY pasted in all public buses and tempos. I don’t find similar zeal and enthusiasm in organizing the DNC. Until and unless you seek public participation, there is very little room for success.