Rituparna Chatterjee – Mumbai
With a focus on attracting more tourists from India and other international markets, the Nepal government is encouraging infrastructural developments in the country. Currently, there are many hotel projects coming up across major tourism hubs like Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan. These hotel investments are being done by Non-Resident Nepalis (NRNs) in collaboration with major international hotel chains. One of the major developments are the properties that are expected to open by 2016 under the JW Marriott brand in Kathmandu and Pokhara. Speaking on this, Surya Thapaliya, officer, tourism products and resources development, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) stated, “Marriott in partnership with an Australian based NRN is opening JW Marriott properties in Kathmandu and Pokhara by 2016. Few NRNs have tied up with their respective investors to start hotel constructions in Kathmandu and Pokhara, which are the two major hubs for tourists. By 2016, we expect to have around four renowned international hotels.” All the four properties combined would offer no less than 250 rooms, he asserted. Presently, Nepal provides one million rooms per year. “If some of the big hotel chains keep on coming then we can increase the availability by 200,000 rooms more,” he opined.
The NTB is also focusing on increasing the number of homestays in the country to cater to the burgeoning increase in tourism arrivals. “The homestay option was introduced in 2011. As per official record, Nepal offers more than 100 homestays across the country. We are looking at increasing this,” he revealed. To enhance its reach in the India market, NTB will be opening its office in Delhi in 2014 and will be increasing their Public Relations Representatives (PRRS). “We operate through our PRRS, which are honorary posts. We have our PRRS in different Indian cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad. We are looking at increasing the number of PRRS from four to eight. We are also planning to open our office in Delhi in 2014. This is a plan in progress but we will definitely work on this,” assured Thapaliya.
For Nepal, India is the largest source market followed by China. Apart from promoting established products, NTB is also promoting many soft adventure activities like – canoeing, bungee jumping, ultralight, paragliding, to name a few. “We are also promoting potential destinations in east and west of Nepal. More than 60 per cent tourists prefer soft trekking and visits to the rural areas,” he mentioned.
