Barely a month after launching the ambitious “brand Nepal” campaign, tourism industry has been hit hard thanks to the prolonged strike and curfew

By Pratibedan Baidya

The general strike called by seven political parties that entered on 19th day on Monday and the daytime curfew imposed by the government to thwart the on-going pro-democracy movement has adversely affected the ailing tourism industry of the county.

The tourism industry, already facing hardships due to prolonged political impasse and the decade-old Maoist insurgency, has further deteriorated with the general strike called by major opposition political parties since early this month.

Tourists in Thamel : Feeling safe?

Tourists in Thamel (File Photo)
With the political unrest continuing and countries advising their citizens against traveling to Nepal, tourism industry is bound to face negative consequences both in the short as well as long term, according to entrepreneurs.

The foreign countries have been issuing strict travel advisories to their citizens not to travel to the Himalayan Kingdom citing political unrest of the country. The atrocities of the security forces against tourists who came out in support of the pro-democracy movement have only added to spread negative message towards Nepal.

Talking to Nepalnews, Sajan Shakya, proprietor of Marcopolo business hotel, a leading business hotel of the country and director of the Club Himalayan, a popular resort based at Nagarkot, said the number of tourists arriving Nepal has gone down drastically in recent days.

“Not only individual tourists, but various projects have also been cancelled in recent days thanks to the recent political situation,” he added.

He informed that many tourists are canceling their trips and also curtailing their stay in Nepal as they were compelled to limit themselves within the rooms of their hotel due to the popular uprising.

The Club Himalayan Resort, which remained a centre of attractions till a few weeks ago, bore a deserted look this week. Only half a dozen rooms are occupied, said Shrestha.

He informed that the negative publicity about the situation of the country is also affecting the tourism industry hard.

According to the Ministry of culture, tourism and civil aviation, there was an increment of 14 percent in the arrival of tourists to Nepal by air in January this year, which rose to impressive 27 per cent in the month of March.

Continued political turmoil and Maoist violence continue to take their toll on country’s tourism industry. Officials say a total of 278,000 tourists visited Nepal by air in the year 2005—nearly 4 percent less than those who visited Nepal in the previous year (2004).

Despite agencies like Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) trying to promote Nepal as a safe tourist destination, tourists who had confirmed their visit earlier have begun to cancel their travel due to the political unrest in the country.
Nepal continues to hit headlines in world media including BBC and the CNN—but for the wrong reasons.

Talking to Nepalnews, Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board, Tek Bahadur Dangi, however, tried to put up a brave face saying that the decline in the arrival of tourists in recent days will turn out to be a temporary event and will not affect the tourism industry in the long run.

He informed that the NTB was working to reduce the inconvenience to the tourists and operating shuttle bus services to facilitate their travel even during the strike and curfew hours.

“The crisis management team of NTB, with the help of Tourist Police, is working round-the-clock for reducing the inconvenience to the tourists,” said Dangi. He expressed hope that tourist arrival will increase after the situation returns to normalcy.

Tourism sector contributes nearly 2 percent to the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. If the revenue generated from Indian tourist is included, it would be more than 2 percent of the GDP, according to the NTB.

Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh and US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

File Photo
As the situation in Nepal remains volatile, foreign governments continue to advise their citizens to leave Nepal at the earliest. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the United Kingdom has urged any British tourists remaining in the Himalayan kingdom to contact the embassy as a matter of urgency saying Nepal (could) descend into bloody insurrection.

“There’s complete unrest in Nepal at the moment and anything could happen. Anyone with friends or relations currently on holiday there should contact them if possible and tell them to get in touch with the embassy,” the FCO said.

The Sunday Times, a leading newspaper of Britain quoted Anita Benson from Newmarket as saying, “We’ve been warned even tourists can be shot on sight. Police are stopping people traveling in cars and even if I could get to the airport every flight is fully booked with people fleeing the country.”

On Monday, China asked Chinese tourists to leave Nepal quickly and urged its citizens living in Nepal to take care of their personal safety.

The US government has asked all non-emergency U.S. mission personnel and dependents in Kathmandu to depart Nepal citing ongoing violence, curfews, and widespread insecurity in the kingdom. The Consular Section and American Center Library remain closed since April 12.

Thamel area, the main tourist hub in the capital, looked deserted as the tourism entrepreneurs stalled their work expressing solidarity to the pro-democracy movement of the country. A number of tourism entrepreneurs including former president of the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal, Dipak Mahat, have been put behind bars for demonstrating demanding restoration of democracy in the country.

Despite current turmoil, Nepal Tourism Board came up with a new tourism brand with the slogan ‘Naturally Nepal, once is not enough’ in March this year to revive the ailing tourism industry.

Rahul Sen and Arun Anand, Brand Consultants, Alchemy, said the new brand was needed to “repackage the diverse, existing product offerings, increase the number of tourists visiting Nepal, increase the revenues and profits of the Nepal Tourist Board, align NTB’s stakeholders and the Nepali tourism industry to a common future and define branding guidelines and investment vehicles for building a low-cost international consumer brand in the very competitive tourism industry.”

The brand, that aims at repositioning Nepal’s image in the international tourism market, incorporates a strategy to attract additional 300,000 tourists in Nepal in a year by making around Rs 100 million investments in tourism promotional campaigns.

But, with the on-going political unrest and high-handed measures employed by the royal government to suppress pro-democracy demonstrations, Nepal’s tourism has sustained a severe blow which will take several months, if not years, to recover.

The government imposed an 11-hour long curfew from 9:00 this morning in Kathmandu as the pro-democracy activists continued their protest against the royal proclamation demanding restoration of total democracy.

Issuing separate public notices, local authorities in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts clamped shoot-to-kill curfew orders.

This is the fourth consecutive day the local authorities clamped down day-time curfew in the valley.

Saturday’s meeting of the seven party alliance (SPA) ruled out the royal proclamation and decided to continue their agitation for restoration of complete democracy in the country.

King Gyanendra in the royal proclamation on Friday said he had returned the executive power to the people as per the Article 35 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal and asked the agitating seven-party alliance to recommend a name for the Prime Minister.

However the SPA termed the proclamation as a ploy of the King to weaken the movement of the SPA. nepalnews.com pb Apr 23 06

Mountaineers of various countries will soon embark on a campaign to clean the world’s highest peak, Mt Everest.

Eighteen mountaineers from South Korea, Austria, France and 15 from Nepal are to take part in the campaign that aims to clean the mountain upto the height of 8000 metres.

The 30-day campaign will be led by South Korean mountaineer Hangwang Yong.

Speaking at a press conference here on Saturday, Hangwang said the team aims to collect at least 5,000 kg of solid waste from Mt Everest. nepalnews.com pb Apr 23 06

At least 247 protestors were injured while defying curfew orders imposed by the government on Saturday in various parts of the valley protesting the royal proclamation of King Gyanendra demanding restoration of complete democracy in the country.

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators defied curfew orders in Kathmandu, tried to march to Ratna Park and beyond and clashed with the security personnel, who fired live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas shells.

Demonstrations were held at Ratna Park, Tripureswor, Gongabu, Mahakal, Kapan, Dilli Bazar, Golfutar, Kalanki and other places in the capital.

Of the injured people, 160 protesters admitted to Model Hospital having sustained cranial injuries. Three persons with bullet injuries are undergoing treatment at Norvic hospital, while five were taken away by the police, who claimed that their condition was very critical. Thirty-seven of the injured were admitted in Norvic, 15 in Teaching Hospital, seven in Patan hospital and two in B & B Hospital. Five persons with bullet wounds were admitted in Bir Hospital.

UML, however, claimed that 700 people were injured on Saturday’s demonstration.

Hundreds of thousands of people hit the streets in various parts of the country on Saturday.

In Pokhara, tens of thousands took out rallies at various places in the town right from Saturday morning to protest the king’s address to the nation.

Protestors also declared that they reject the royal address as it ignores the Nepali people’s longing for peace and democracy. Doctors and nurses at Manipal Teaching Hospital also hit the streets, in their white aprons and stethoscopes around their necks.

A report from Parbat said, irate demonstrators in Parbat demolished a statue of the late King Mahendra, father of the present king, at district headquarters Kusma. The two security personnel guarding the statue looked on helplessly when protesters smashed it to pieces.

In Biratnagar in the east, a massive rally was organized requesting political party leaders not to listen to the king’s offer as it fails to address the long-persisting Maoist problem. Forty-seven various professional organizations warned the agitating party leaders not to become entangled in any conspiracy hatched by the palace.

Meanwhile, thousands of people took to the streets for the same cause in Urlabari, Khorsane, Sautha, Pathari and Letang also in Morang district.

In Butwal, the biggest ever demonstration in the town was staged. Some 200,000 people participated in the demonstration that continued throughout the day. Also, the protestors burnt down the statue of the late King Tribhuvan at Golpark.

In Nepalgunj, rickshaw pullers and horse-carriage operators took out rallies along with their horses, waving the flags of the agitating political parties.

In Bardiya, thousands participated in the funeral of Yam Lal Lamichhane, who died of bullet injuries sustained during a peaceful demonstration. Police shot Lamichhane on Thursday. Likewise, in Kavre, the funeral of Sagun Tamrakar, who was killed in security forces firing in the capital Thursday, was held in Panauti.

Demonstrations were also held in Bara, Baglung, Beni, Bhairahawa, Bhojpur, Dang, Darchula, Dadeldhura, Dailekh, Dhading, Dhankuta, Dharan, Dolakha, Hetauda, Ilam, Janakpur, Jhapa, Kavre, Lamjung, Palpa, Panchthar, Sankhuwasabha, Saptari, Sarlahi, Sunsari, Syangja, Surkhet and Tehrathum.nepalnews.com pb Apr 23 06

Not only the prices of daily consumer goods but the prices of gold and silver also continued to rise during the general strike that is running in third consecutive week.

The price of gold set a new 25-year high record in the bullion market over the week, with its price ending at Rs 14,575 (US$ 201.31) per ten gram on Wednesday when the market closed. The bullion market was open for only four days until Wednesday because of the curfew clamped by the government during the last two working days -Thursday and Friday.

According to the weekly data of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association (NGSDA), its price rose by Rs 425 per ten gram in total throughout the week.

The bullion market opened on Sunday, with price of gold at Rs 14,150 per ten gram. However, it continued to go up over the week. On Monday, gold price posted a growth of Rs 100 to reach Rs 14,250 per ten gram. The price again rose to Rs 14,500 on Tuesday.

The gold price increased by US$ 20 per troy ounce to US$ 623 on Wednesday, up from US$ 603 on Sunday.

Spurred by a rise in the international price of silver, the domestic price also saw a steep rise in the domestic market over the week, touching a 25-year record.

The weekly silver trading data demonstrates that the price of silver reached Rs 335 per ten gram on Wednesday, the last day for transactions this week from Rs 312 on Sunday when the market opened. nepalnews.com pb Apr 23 06

A study report has presented an alarming picture that children working in the transportation sector, school-going children and the street children are involved in protest programmes.

A report prepared by CWIN, an NGO working in the field of children after monitoring children in Kathmandu Valley from April 6 to 20 said that a total of 182 children below 18 years of age have been injured in Kathmandu Valley so far; and among the 81 children below 16, three are severely injured.

However, the report said it could get details of only 95 injured children — four girls and 91 boys between 13 and 18 years. Of the injured children, 51 were between 17 and 18 years, 28 between 13 and 16 years and 16 below 13 years.

Of the 95 children, 13 have sustained firearm injuries, 23 head injuries, 12 cuts and bruises, nine injuries to the limbs, seven eye injuries, two fractures, and 29 minor injuries.

Most of the children, 49, were injured in Gongabu, while 15 were hurt in Kirtipur and 10 in Chabahil.

“It’s no surprise to witness children participating in the ongoing protests since they have much time to spare and youthful energy to boot,” The Himalayan Times daily quoted Tarak Dhital, spokesperson for CWIN as saying.

Exposing children to risk is a violation of their rights. It is the responsibility of the State, the society and the parents to protect them from the dangers involved with demonstrations, Dhital added.

According to the report the children are involved in activities like burning tyres, blocking roads, and shouting slogans.

Thirty-four injured children were provided treatment in Kathmandu Model Hospital, 50 were taken to the Community hospital, Gongabu, 22 to the Binayak Hospital, Gongabu, 10 to the Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, eight to the Om Hospital, 17 to the Patan Hospital, 21 to the Bir Hospital, seven to the Friends of Patan, two to the Nepal Medical College, four to the Medicare Hospital and four to the B and B Hospital.

Additionally, 27 children were injured in demonstrations outside Kathmandu Valley. nepalnews.com pb Apr 23 06

As demonstrations against the Friday’s royal proclamation continue across the country for the third day Sunday, the authorities have imposed day-time curfew and tightened security in the capital, Kathmandu.

Reports say huge rallies are being organized in major cities around the country, including Pokhara, Chitwan, Biratnagar and Janakpur today so as the pressurize the king to fulfill demands put forth by the seven party alliance.

The alliance has rejected the royal offer to name the new premier and has said general strike and protests would continue unless the king reinstates the dissolved parliament.

Life across the country has been crippled as the nationwide general strike entered into the 18th day on Sunday.

Tens of thousands of people have assembled in various parts of the city and have been demonstrating against the royal proclamation, according to latest reports.

“We don’t accept royal proclamation. Hold elections to the constituent assembly,” the demonstrators are chanting.

Police, armed police and soldiers are patrolling key points in the capital city from early morning. Police have erected barricades in several parts of the city and have set up barbed wire fences in downtown areas including Ason and Bhotahity, according to reports.

The opposition parties have called upon their supporters to march to Ratna Park, the city centre, to demonstrate against the king. Over 300 demonstrators were injured, some of them seriously, when hundreds of thousands of people tried to march towards Tundikhel, the Open Air Theater, in the capital. Police used force to disrupt demonstrators—majority of them below 30 years—in Putalisadak and Singha Durbar area—less than five km from the Narayanhiti royal palace.

There are no reports of major violence as yet. Nepalnews will continue to monitor the situation. nepalnews.com by Apr 23 06

A day after welcoming the royal proclamation of handing over power to the people, the government of India has said King Gyanendra needs to do more and that India supports democratic forces in the Himalayan kingdom.

Addressing a hurriedly convened press conference at the Foreign Ministry on Saturday—a public holiday—hours after the seven party alliance (SPA) in Nepal rejected the offer of the premiership, Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said, “We have always felt that political power should be exercised by the representatives of the people, and it is for them to really decide what the future of Nepal is going to be.”

“As a close neighbour of Nepal, as a country which has very very intimate cultural and ethnic links with this country, it has always been our wish to seek peace and prosperity in Nepal because stability in Nepal is in the best interests of India. We have also believed that democracy in Nepal is the best guarantee of such stability,” Saran added.

Indicating towards what could be important policy shift in the Indian policy towards Nepal, Mr. Saran said, “When we said India stands for multiparty democracy and constitutional monarchy, we were reflecting nothing more than what the people of Nepal themselves and the political parties themselves had committed to. So, you should not take this as something that was prescribed by the Government of India. With respect to what will be the future political arrangement, this is really a matter for the people of Nepal to decide, not for India to decide.”

Responding to reports saying that India was supporting the king at the expense of pro-democracy movement in the kingdom, Saran said, “There was a misrepresentation of India’s stand by some elements who were perhaps hostile to the very close and friendly relations between India and Nepal. There is no doubt of India’s commitment to democracy in Nepal and to our support for the democratic forces in Nepal. I think this message should go very loud and clear to the people of Nepal,” he added.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said India could “not afford” to see Nepal becoming a “failed state.” Talking to reporters on his way to Germany, the Indian premier welcomed the royal move to handover power to political parties and described it as a step in right direction. Indian official news agency PTI quoted Dr. Singh as saying that there should be a government in place which exercises all the executive powers. “The process has begun,” he added.

In the Indian city of Kolkata, politburo member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Sitaram Yechuri, said on Saturday that Maoists should not be excluded from the consolidation of the democratic process in Nepal. “Maoists in Nepal have very strong political influence and their inclusion in the consolidation of the democratic process will have an impact on Maoists in India,” Yechuri, who is also the convenor of the Indo-Nepal solidarity committee, said, “Excluding the Maoists will be a great disservice to the movement in Nepal.”

“Integration of the Maoists in the democratic process in Nepal would have a “salutary effect” in India it as would be difficult for ultra Left groups here not to participate in democracy. The king should not be allowed to exclude the Maoists citing the 1990 Nepalese Constitution which kept away Maoists from the democratic process. We should not fall into that trap,” Indian Express newspaper quoted Yechuri as saying. nepalnews.com by Apr 23 06

Reports say police have opened fire at a huge mass of demonstrators at Koteswore in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, on Sunday afternoon.

Nepal F. M.—a private sector radio station—reported that at least three persons were hit with rubber bullets. Tika Prasad Dhakal, a resident of Kavre, was taken to the B & B hospital by a UN vehicle. A correspondent told the radio that police opened fire without warning at the demonstrators, without prior warning and without resotring to tactics like baton charging and firing tear gas shells, to disperse a crowd of an estimated 30,000 people that was trying to reach to the Ring Road from inner parts of the city.

Thousands of demonstrators clashed with security personnel at Kalanki of Ring Road and other parts of the city as anti-king demonstrations continued in the Nepali capital on Sunday by defying the curfew orders.

According to reports, demonstrators – including those who have arrived from Kirtipur—clashed with police as the latter tried to stop them from moving towards Soaltee Mode in the inner parts of the city.

Three tiers of security have been set up to stop the demonstrators. On the front are civilian police followed by the personnel of Armed Police Force who are backed up the Royal Nepalese Army personnel. The number of soldiers patrolling the street is considerably higher today.

Unlike Saturday when hundreds of thousands of people had marched towards the city center, security personnel are trying hard to stop masses from moving towards inner parts of the capital.

Huge masses carrying party flags are marching along the Ring Road. They have put up barriers at several points of the Ring Road to stop security vehicles from plying.

There are reports of clashes between security personnel and pro-democracy demonstrators at several places of the capital. nepalnews.com by Apr 23 06

Reports from Dang say an estimated over 300,000 people have converged at Tribhuvan Nagar, the district headquarter of the conflict-hit mid-western district, to express their support to the on-going movement led by the seven party alliance.

Lokraj Adhikari, a journalist with the Radio Sworgadwari F. M., told Nepalnews over phone that people from all five districts of Rapti zone had passed through various parts of the town before converging into a mass meeting at the Traffic Chowk.

People in hilly areas, attired in their traditional costumes, took part in the rally playing various instruments. They also chanted slogans in favour of democracy and denouncing absolute monarchy. The demonstrators had walked for hours to take part in the huge rally.

Addressing the meeting, senior journalist and poet Narayan Prasad Sharma and chairman of Professionals’ Association for Peace and Democracy (PAPAD) Dang district unit, Chinta Bahadur B. C. cautioned seven party alliance not to accept the king’s offer until their demands are met. They also warned that people would continue their agitation if the parties betrayed them.

In Chitwan, women led the pro-democracy rally calling for restoration of democracy in the country. Speakers at the mass meeting at Pulchowk called for the reinstatement of the dissolved parliament as a way out to end the on-going political stalemate.

Thousands of people have also taken out rally in the western town of Pokhara denouncing the royal proclamation. In industrial town of Birgunj, teachers of Thakurram Multiple Campus led a rally that demanded reinstatement of the dissolved parliament and elections to the constituent assembly.

In southern district of Sarlahi, demonstrators vandalized the office of Muskan Sena Nepal—a royalist outfit. At Panauti of Kavre, people took part into an opinion poll in which over 90 percent voted in favor of elections to the constituent assembly while less than five percent voted for constitutional monarchy.

There are reports of rally and mass meetings organized across the country denouncing Friday’s royal proclamation. There are no reports of major violence during the protest programmes. nepalnews.com by Apr 23 06