Nepal's first time participation in Nordic Travel Fair MATKA 2008

Nepal Tourism Board along with four Nepalese private travel companies namely Mountain Adventure Trekking, Snowland Travel and Tours, Makalu Adventure and Sahara Worldwide Travels and Tours actively participated for the first time in Nordic Travel Fair Matka 2008, the biggest travel event in Nordic and Baltic region, held from January 17 to 20, 2008 in Helsinki, Finland.

Inaugurated by Dr. Paavo Vayrynen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Government of Finland, the fair had good response from the tour operators and professionals on the first day specially those from nearby Estonia and St. Petersberg. The next three days were aimed at consumers, considering the trend of the Finnish travelers who normally shop around for the holiday destinations during winter. There were 1,100 exhibitors from 77 countries occupying the space of 16,000 sq. meters. Visited by 9178 tour operators and 85000 consumers, the fair showed an encouraging prospect of Nepalese tourism in Finnish as well as North European market.

A long feature article on Himalayas of Nepal and cultural heritage in the MATKA issue of Panorama magazine, written and edited by Mr. Reijo Harkonen, Honorary PRR for NTB, fetched good interest from quite a number of visitors in the Fair. In addition to that, another beautiful article published in "Helsingin Sanomat"- popular daily newspaper with the circulation of 450,000 - on the third day of the fair, January 19, 2008 about Annapurna trekking made the visitors even more curious about Nepal in general and trekking in particular. Inquiries about Nepal by the visitors were tremendous. According to the response of the visitors, they seemed more interested in trekking. Yet, other natural and cultural products have not lost any charm among the Finnish people.

There are more than 10 Nepalese Restaurants, very much well known among the locals, in Helsinki. Their observation about the Finnish people's interest about Nepal shows a great hope and prospect of the growth of Nepalese tourism in Finland. In fact, they can be very good platforms to increase the awareness about Nepal's diverse tourism attractions. The active Nepali diaspora in Finland have played a significant role in generating public awareness about Nepal and cultivating interests in them to visit Nepal.

Finland's national carrier Finn Air has published special fares for Helsinki/Delhi & Helsinki/Mumbai sectors for MATKA 2008 making it "Fast & Easy" travel to Nepal as well. Very soon they are going to come out with a special Pro Rata basis fare for Helsinki/KTM via Delhi. This definitely is a positive sign that supports NTB's first ever participation in Finland along with the Nepalese travel trade.

Nepal Captured Central Stage in TTF Chennai

Nepal's participation in TTF 2008, India's largest Travel and Tourism Fair, in Chennai, received very cheering response amongst Indian visitors. The Fair, held on 18-20 January 2008, registered more than 10000 general visitors and about 650 travel trade.

Like TTF in Banglore, Nepal was projected as a partner country in Chennai too. With the participation of 8 Travel companies, Nepal was center of attraction in the Fair. Visitors had interestingly inquired the pilgrimage packages of Muktinath, Pashupatiunath, and Mt. Kailash and other soft adventure, leisure, and honeymoon offers. The local media were also briefed about special attractions of Nepalese Tourism and safety and security situation in Nepal by NTB Officials.

The fair was inaugurated on 18 January 2007 at Raja Muthiah and Rani Meyyammai Halls in the presence of Sr. Rajaram, Director Tourism of Tamilnadu .

TTF had provided a single roof opportunity to the visitors to make their travel plans, with options to gather information on various national and international destinations, cruise lines, hotels, resorts, adventure attractions, pilgrimage tours etc. A total of 140 inter/national exhibitors had showcased and sold their travel offers. With showcasing national and international destinations and giving a platform for customized packages on offer, TTF now is the largest Travel and Tourism fair of India.

Sir Edmund Hillary will always live in Nepali hearts

A condolence meeting was organized on January 15, 2008 in memory of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first summiteer of Mt. Everest. Sir Edmund Hillary passed away at a hospital in Auckland, New Zealand on January 10, 2008, at the age of 88. Prayers were performed as per the Buddhist and Hindus tradition where Lamas and Batuks chanted sacred Mantras for the eternal peace of the departed soul.

Mr. Prithvi Subba Gurung, Hon'ble Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation committed that he would take proposal to the Cabinet Meeting to name Lukla Airport as Tenzing-Hillary Airport. Mr. Jyoti Adhikari, President of Trekking Agents' Association of Nepal proposed for the different awards in the memory of Tenzing and Hillary and requested tourism industry and the ministry for the approval.

Miss Elizabeth Hawley, Executive Director of Himalayan Trust sending her message to the condolence meeting said that the loss of Sir Edmund Hillary would be felt all over the world.

Nepal honoured Band and Hinkes at WTM

Press Release November 16, 2005
Nepal Tourism Board in co-ordination with Royal Nepalese Embassy, London, UK, Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation, Honorary PRR of Nepal Tourism Board in London & Himalaya Expeditions of Kathmandu organized a special presentation program on November 15, 2005 on the theme of Nepal Then & Now: Celebrating 50 Years of Ascending the World's Third Highest Peak, Mt. Kanchenjunga, at World Travel Mart (WTM-2005) being held in London from 14-17 November 2005.

Addressing the function attended by about 150 media persons and tour operators, His Excellency Royal Nepalese Ambassador to the UK, Mr. Prabal SJB Rana said that Nepal has always remained a safe and adventure destination for European and American travelers. He also focused on the recent positive growth in tourist arrivals in Nepal.

Mr. George Band, the first person to climb Mt. Kahchangungha on 25th May 1955 and Mr. Alan Hinkes the First Briton to climb all the 14 above eight thousand meters' peaks who ascended Mt. Kanchenjunga in this spring season made a special audiovisual presentation of their ascent to Mt. Kanchenjunga. They also shared their experience they enjoyed in Nepal while ascending the peak and their recent visit to Nepal on Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Ascent of Mt. Kanchenjunga. Mr. Band & Hinkes assured the European and American travelers that there is no problem of safety and security in Nepal for the tourists.

Mr. Shankar Prasad Koirala, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation applauded the efforts made by Mr. Band & Mr. Hankes to promote the mountain tourism of Nepal. He further said that Nepal is a popular destination for adventure sports and mountain tourism He also focused on the policies of the government pertaining to promote adventure and mountain tourism in Nepal.

The legendary mountaineers, Mr. Band & Hinkes were felicitated with special ice axe fixed on wooden plaque by His Excellency Mr. Rana & Mr. Koirala on the occasion.

Visitors' Arrival Grows by 15.1% in October

October 2005, compared to the same month last year marked a 15.1% growth in visitors number coming to Nepal by air, reaching a total of 38,563 visitors for the month. The growth during the month was fueled by increase in Indian visitors number by 58% along with 7% increase in non-Indian visitors' segment. The figure for the month is slightly an improvement even when compared to the arrivals of September 2003. This was stated in the figures released by Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation quoting Immigration Office Tribhuvan International Airport.

Asian and regional markets have shown positive results for the month as Chinese, Singaporean and Thai markets have almost doubled while healthy grown have been observed from the rest of the Asian markets.

The European segment could only increase by 0.8% with mixed results from the market. The British market showed a growth of 21.3% followed by Belgian (16%), Swiss (8%), Italian (3.4%), Spanish (2.8%) and two Scandinavian markets Danish (10.1%) and Swedish (42.4%). On the other hand arrivals from some of the major European markets like Germany (-6.3%), France (-16.0%) and Netherlands (-26.5%) declined. The US market continued to perform positively with a growth of 3.9% and a remarkable growth of 20.2% from Canada. Arrivals from Australia and New Zealand went down by 7.6% and 22.3% respectively.

The growth of October in Indian segment continues to be influenced by the attractive packages launched in the market as well as effective air connectivity and attractive promotional fares by the on-line carriers in the Indo-Nepal sector. Although the non-Indian segment didn't pick up as expected, it continues to indicate the rising confidence of the visitors towards Nepal. The growth has certainly come due to the improvement of security and safety conditions in the country as well as absence of negative coverage on Nepal.

Climbing Everest in the list 20 sports destinations for 2006

Press Release November 6, 2005
National Geographic Adventure's November 2005 issue lists the top 20 sports destinations to help its readers plan their next challenge naming it as Adventure Travel 2006: The Sports Trips Atlas. Written by Robert Earle Howells, it has named climbing Mt. Everest as one of the adventure sports that it has recommended for 2006. Besides Everest, it has also recommended two other mountains for climbing: Mount Rainier, Washington and Grand Teton, Wyoming. National Geographic Adventure writes about climbing Mt. Everest, "While everyone and their dog seems to be summiting these days, nothing's more extreme than standing at 29,035 feet (8,850 meter) on the highest place on Earth. But it's a possible dream for a determined mountaineer with high-altitude experience." Mt. Everest is the only Asian destination selected for the adventure sports category. Other adventure sports that National Geographic Adventure has picked up for 2006 are skiing, rafting, diving surfing, mountain biking, multisports besides mountaineering.

High-level French team in Nepal for rescue operation

A press conference was organized today by French Embassy based in Kathmandu, Nepal to disseminate the factual information about French climbers swept down by avalanche that hit the base camp of a climbing expedition on Mount Kang Guru, 6981 m in Mid-western Nepal on October 20, 2005. French Ambassador Michel Jolivet expressing sorrow over the tragedy paid sincere condolence to the French and Nepali victims' families, to their friends and to the whole community of climbers. Addressing the press conference Mr. Serge Koening, mountain guide, and mountain advisors of Mr. Jean-Francois Lamour, French Minister for Youth and Sports said that he was satisfied with the rescue operation carried by Nepalese rescue team. He informed that two experts specialized in post-avalanche search operation with two sniffler dogs trained for mountain rescue, and with special equipment will be arriving Kathmandu on October 28 to continue search operation after hiatus. The search operation has been halted for sometime due to snowfall and likelihood of avalanche. But it will resume soon when weather gets clear. They have left three trained guides at Meta below base camp to monitor weather. A body of French climber was brought to Kathmandu by a helicopter on October 26, 2005, he said. However, identity is still unknown. Five experts from France accompanied the rescue operation conducted by Himalayan Rescue Association started from October 23 to 26. According to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the members of French expedition who are presumed dead are Bernard Constantin, 65, Gregory Flematti, 35, Bruno M.J. Chardin, 54, Jean Francois Jube, 62, Jean Paul Minette, 51, Marie Odile Stolzenberg, 57, and the expedition leader, Daniel Stolzenberg, 60. Eleven-member Nepali climbers, cooks, guides and porters who accompanied French Expedition are also believed to be perished in the avalanche.

Of the 22-person expedition team, four Nepalese porters staying outside the main tents survived the avalanche and were rescued by a helicopter. The French Expedition team started their trekking from Besisahar, the starting point of Annapurna Circuit on October 3, 2005. They reached Camp II on October 18 but got back to the base camp. According to Churen Himal Treks and Expeditions, which handled the expedition, the French Expedition had planned to climb the Mount Kang Guru on October 24.

In the meantime, Manang Youth Society issued a press release yesterday saying that the weather has been good for the past 3 days with sunny weather following last week heavy snowfall. "It will take some time for planes to resume regular flights. According to information from Manang, all the tourists stranded at Tilicho Lake have been rescued with the help of local people and flown out by helicopter. Tourist traffic continues on the Annapurna circuit. While tourists whose treks have been cut short by the recent weather conditions are returning to Kathmandu via Besisahar, others are continuing to walk up to Manang in the hope of crossing the Thorong Pass to reach Jomsom," it further states.

In order to better facilitate tourists, the Tourism Crisis Response Action Unit at Nepal Tourism Board works 24/7 to respond to the queries and facilitate or take necessary initiative round the clock. This operation has been supported by Media Center of Nepal Tourism Board. The staff on duty is available at mobile number 9851087744. The mobile number of Media Center is 9851077385. You may contact us at mediacenter@ntb.org.np.

US Sales Mission Rescheduled to May 2006

Press Release September 29, 2005
Nepal Tourism Board is working towards repositioning the image of the country so as to market and promote Nepal aggressively and extensively both domestically and internationally through participation in Fairs and Expositions, inviting journalists for Familiarization Trips, Organizing Sales Missions and Road Shows etc.

The Nepal US Sales Mission scheduled to be organized by Nepal Tourism Board and the Travel Trade of Nepal in September 2005 has been rescheduled until May 2006. The Sales Mission that was to be held in New York, Denver and Los Angeles in September 2005 has been rescheduled after all the participants unanimously agreed to cover more cities in the US, taking a bigger delegation and more new and exciting products. The ten companies that confirmed their participation in the US Road Show are: Himalaya Expeditions, Sita Nepal, Grand Hotel, Kathmandu Tours & Travels, Asuka Travel, Karnali Excursions, Park Village, Explore Himalaya, Zenith Travel, Shangri-la Tours and Travels.

Hence, rather than promoting Nepal in just 3 US cities, NTB plans to cover more than 6 US cities and take 12-15 companies from Nepal for the May 2006 Sales Mission. The PR Company hired by NTB and other US Travel Trade Organizations have expressed full commitment to assist NTB in organizing the rescheduled US Sales Mission in May 2006. The joint budget of NTB and the private sector companies for the US Road Show has been retained for the May 2006 event and any baseless rumours relating to this is highly regrettable. NTB as a public-private partnership professional institution has been best utilizing its resources for destination promotion focusing target countries and segments.

Following the increase in the number of tourists visiting Nepal this year as compared to last year as well the recent ceasefire announcement, NTB is very optimistic about further increase in the number of tourists visiting Nepal in the days ahead. Similarly the number of Americans visiting Nepal in 2004 grew by 4% as compared to 2003.

NTB has successfully organized similar Sales Mission in the United States in 1999 and 2001.

Travel Trade companies interested to participate in the US Sales Mission are requested to contact the US desk at Nepal Tourism Board for further information

 

Additional Flights on KTM/CCU/KTM sectors during Oct’ 05

We are extremely pleased to announce that during the ‘Dasain Festivals’ Indian Airlines has decided to operate additional flights on Kathmandu-Kalkata-Kathmandu sectors on 7th, 9th , 14th & 16th October,2005. The timings are as follows:

Dates: 07th,14th,& 16th Oct’05
Flights Nos: IC1747/1748
Sectors: CCU/KTM/CCU
Arv/Dep at KTM: 1545/1630 LT

Dates: 09th Oct’05
Flights Nos: IC1747/1748
Sectors: CCU/KTM/CCU
Arv/Dep at KTM: 1400/1500 LT

Indian Airlines

Nation observes World Tourism Day with fanfare

Press Release September 27, 2005
World Tourism Day has been observed in Nepal today organising various events and programmes throughout the kingdom. This year's slogan for the day is "Travel & Transport: From the imaginary of Jules Verne to the reality of the 21st Century." Early in the morning at 6:30 am, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Mr. Buddhiraj Bajracharya and other high officials of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Nepal Tourism Board honoured Mr. George Dauster of Germany, the first passenger to disembark from the Qatar Airways and other tourists coming from same airlines with garland. In a programme organised at Nepal Tourism Board, Minister Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Mr. Buddhiraj Bajracharya handed over the plaque and certificate to highest foreign currency earners in hotel, travel agency, trekking agency and airlines category for fiscal year 2061/62. Award for highest foreign currency earning in the five star hotel category went to Hotel Yak & Yeti. Similarly, Hotel Malla, Hotel Summit, Tibet Guesthouse and Hotel Garuda received award in four, three, two and one star category. In the travel agency and trekking agency category, Yeti Travel and Thamserku Trekking received award of highest foreign currency earning in travel and trekking agency category respectively. Buddha Air received the highest currency-earning award in domestic airline category whereas Royal Nepal Airlines received award in domestic airlines serving in remote areas. Minister Bajracharya also gave away the prizes to the winner of 6th Nationwide Essay Competition for Secondary, Higher Secondary & Bachelors, 3rd Nationwide Project Writing and Presentation Competition and winners of the Travel Writer of the Year 2005. Mr. Yugal Jyoti Nepal of Kathmandu University High School, Kavre, Mr. Ram Kumar Basnet of Campion Academy, Lalitpur and Mr. Bishal Timilsena of Nepal Commerce Campus, Kathmandu stood first in Nationwide Essay Competition for Secondary, Higher Secondary & Bachelors respectively. In the project writing entitled "Urban Living rural Thinking marking Shivapuri National Park in the World Tourism Map Kathmandu Don Bosco College, Brookfield Academy High Secondary School and Bagmati Boarding Higher Secondary School became first, second and third respectively. The winners of Travel Writer of the Year 2005 in different categories are as follows:

Mr. Bishwa Prakash Poudel- Eco Tourism
Ms. Sampada Malla- Pilgrimage Tourism
Mr. Umesh Pokharel- Adventure & Sports Tourism
Mr. Madhu Jung Pandey- Entertainment & Leisure Tourism
Mr. Bishnu Mani Bhattarai- Culture and Heritage Tourism
Mr. Amrit Bhadgaonle- Mountain Tourism

Hon'ble Minister Bajracharya also inaugurated Indegenous Handicraft Display Showcase housed inside the premises of Nepal Tourism Board. Similarly, Thamel Tourism Development Committee is being organised Thamel Tourism Festival to mark the day with musical programmes and food festivals.

Tourists were felicitated in Basantpur(Hanumandhoka) also to mark the day. In Pokhara, tourism entrepreneurs greeted tourists coming from different flights at the airport. Other places where tourists were facilitated are Bhairahawa Airport, Janakpur Airport and tourists entering to Nepal from different checkpoints namely Belhaiya, Kodari, Nepalgunj, Gaddachowki-Kanchanpur and Kakarvitta.

In the morning Nepal Association of Tour & Travel Agents organised Mountain Bike Rally from Kathmandu to Patan to Kathmandu to mark World Tourism Day. Around hundred mountain bikers took part in the rally.

A special programme was organised throughout the day in Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and to mark the day. Lasata Bhoya-a traditional Newari food festival and cultural presentation is being organised at NTB to celebrate this occasion. Free entrance to for the visitors has been given at the National Ethnographic Museum and all other museums including the International Mountain Museum-Pokhara.

Air Nepal International Opens its Wings

Air Nepal International, a Nepali Airline promoted by an elite group of domestic airline operators and tourism entrepreneurs, has commenced operations. The airline is currently flying twice a week to Kuala Lumpur and thrice a week to each of the cities of Bangkok, Doha and Dubai. It is the first private Nepali carrier to operate beyond the SAARC Region. The airline's aircraft B 767 has been hired from the Thailand based PB Air under a one-year ACMI contract. The airline has flying rights to the Indian cities of Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore and other international destinations including Frankfurt, London, Paro and Lhasa. In the next phase the airline is planning to connect to Indian cities.

Austrian Airlines resumes flights from Sept 15

The Austrian Air from Vienna landed on September 15 at 2250 hrs at Tribhuvan International Airport carrying 231 passengers. This was the first flight of Austrian Air in the Vienna-Kathmandu route for this season. It will fly once a week till September and twice a week from October. The only airline that flies directly to Europe from Nepal, the Austrian Airlines aircraft operating in his route has a capacity of 36 business and 209 economy class seats. The airline generally operates seasonal flights from Nepal to Europe for eight months a year - from mid-September to mid-May. (We regret for the placement of wrong picture in last issue).

Association of South Asian travel journalists formed

Tourism journalists from South Asia, including Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, at a meeting held during the Travel Media Workshop in Kathmandu on August 27, 2005 decided to establish South Asian Forum for Tourism Journalists (SAFTOJ), with Rahaman Jahangir of Bangladesh as its convener.

A 8-member ad-hoc committee has been formed with Krishna Regmi and Dikshya Thakuri from Nepal, Amitabh Parashar and Braj Kishore Mishra from India, Kinley Wangmo and Kencho Dorji from Bhutan, and Rafiqul Islam Ratan and Majurul Alam Bangladesh. Members from three remaining countries from SAARC will be included in the ad-hoc committee at the earliest. Its full-fledged committee would be formed at a convention to be held in Dhaka early 2006. Tourism ministers and heads of tourism authorities from seven member countries have been proposed to act as chief advisors and advisors respectively. Chief of Press and Communications, World Tourism Organization, Rok V. Klanchik has been co-opted as advisor of the SAFTOJ. There will be 11-member national chapters in each country in the region. Participants in this workshop will be responsible to form national chapters in the respective countries. The main objective of the SAFTOJ is to identify new tourism products, and promote tourism sector in South Asia through print and electronically media.

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Royalty fee to climb Mt. Manaslu and Mt. Lhotse slashed

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has decided to provide a fifty percent discount in the royalty charge to the mountaineering teams seeking permission to scale Mt. Manaslu (8163m) and Mt. Lhotse (8516m). According to MoCTCA, the slashed rates will come into effect from March 1 to June 30, 2006.

The decision has been taken under a policy of observing a golden jubilee of the first ascent of mountains above 8,000 meters, the ministry said adding, the concession will be applicable to the royalty charge on the basis of numbers of mountaineers in an expedition team. During that period the royalty fee for seven members expedition team will be US $ 5000 (Five thousand),it is stated in a statement issued by MoCTCA.

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Nepal unique, safe place: Finnish mountaineer

“Nepal is a very unique country where foreigners can find good hospitality and people are friendly. Besides these, Nepal is also one of the few countries of the world where foreigners feel the safest”, says Veikka Gustafsson a mountaineer who comes from the world’s one of the flat countries level Finland.

“On every Friday night even in the Finnish capital­Helsinki’s Railway Station is not a safe but I feel here safer all the time”, he added.

Veikka, who was in capital on way back home after climbing Mt. Dhaulagiri on May 12 was talking with The Rising Nepal here the other day.

With this, he had set up a record of so climbing 11 out of 14 world’s highest peaks of above 8000 metres.

“Now three mountains ­ Kanchenjunga, Gashebrum I and II are left to be climbed”, says Veikka.

Veikka came to Nepal in 1993 dreaming of to climb the world’s highest 8, 848 meter high snow-peak Mt. Everest. H was the first Finnish to climb Mt. Everest at the age of 25 that time.

Since then every year he has been coming to Nepal and has climbed the other over eight thousander mountains.

“When I came to Nepal for the first time, the people were kind and happy. Even in these days people are smiling and friendly. But they seem more advanced looking at them on the streets. This is a new experience for me”, shared Veikka of his experience.

“After my success of Mt. Everest there were many articles published in Finnish newspapers. This helped more and more Finnish people to know about Nepal and Nepalese,” says Veikka.

When we come to Nepal for expedition, “there will be only mountain in our mind but when we leave Nepal there are people in our mind”, says Viekka.

“Climbers are the ambassadors of Nepal. After going back to their respective places, they (the climbers) will speak to thousands of people about Nepal and its art, culture, history, social, economy and many more”, he said.

In order to make the mountaineering easier for the advancement of mountaineering activities, Nepal government should change the rules and regulations of the existing mountaineering policies”, he suggests.

“Mountains are very much similar to the University of Culture, because in mountains we could meet people from various cultural background and could exchange the respective cultures. For me the cool and tough mountains give not only motivational changes but also encourage for team building aspect. Thus, Nepal’s Himalayas have given me lots in my life”, says ace-climber Veikka.

A publisher of Finnish outdoor magazines by profession Veikka also does modelling for various Finnish products and also teaches Finnish students on different issues and thinking of need to give courageous lessons for the students. That is at least to do something-special work in their life.

“After climbing the three more eight thousanders, I will involve fully in promoting Nepal’s tourism sectors”, says Veikka.

So far, there are three Finnish national who had climbed Mt Everest. But two of them have already given up climbing after their first successful ventures. However, Veikka Gustafsson, the first Finnish to climb the Mt. Everest, is still vying for the prestigious title of the First Finnish to climb all the 14 highest peaks of the world.

Tourists to get VAT refunded

According to a Financial Ordinance-2061 provision, which the government has recently decided to implement, Value Added Tax (VAT) paid by tourists on goods worth more than Rs 15,000 would be refunded at the time of their departure. The decision will come into effect from May 1. Any international tourist, who has not been employed in Nepal for the past six months and has not stayed for more than 183 days in Nepal, can claim VAT refund on his purchases. The VAT refund applies only to goods being taken out of Nepal within 60 days of the date of purchase. For the time being the provision will benefit tourists leaving through the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has directed the Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB) to open a branch at the TIA lounge to provide refund services to tourists, according to a bank source. The RBB unit will refund the amount in foreign currency to the tourists. The Ministry of Finanace has directed the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to provide application forms VAT Refund for Tourists at department stores with immediate effect.

New procedures for recording mountaineering feats

Press Release April 11, 2005
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) issued the working modalities related to keeping mountaineering records on April 8, 2005.

The Ministry took the decision on March 31 after the realisation that a clear-cut working procedure for endorsing different records achieved by mountaineers in the high mountains was needed to ensure efficient management of the entire procedures.

Claimants of mountaineering records should from now on follow the set procedures.

1. The new working modalities require those mountaineers willing to set records to present in writing their future plans to the Ministry at the time of briefing that takes place concurrently with the issuance of the climbing permits.
2) The leaders of the mountaineering teams must make their plans in coordination with the high altitude Sherpas if possible.
3) The mountaineers must provide proof of their feats by making available photographs that state clearly the date and time of reaching the summit apart from informing the liaison officers through their communication sets about the different settings as they go along the mountaineering routes.
4) The mountaineer, who aims to establish a feat, must inform about the item he wishes to leave at the summit as a mark of memory. He will have to inform this to the liaison officer in the presence of the members of his expedition team and a representative affiliated with the mountaineering sector.
5) The mountaineer needs to give the inventory of the items that he/she wishes to take along to the liaison officer before setting out on the expedition.
6) In the course of the expedition, the mountaineer claiming a fresh record should present proof of this by submitting photographs taken with other mountaineers he meets on the way back.
7) Besides, he/she needs to submit a photograph that shows all the four directions of the summit including the item of memory to be left behind.
8) The claimant must take video pictures and photographs of the trails and places that he/she treks through to furnish proof of the record.
9) If possible, the mountaineer needs to carry with him a Global Positioning System that is attached to an altimeter. He/she needs to make arrangements to send the details of his whereabouts in the mountain to the Ministry through satellite phone whenever he establishes radio contacts with the base camp.
10) The mountaineer needs to furnish details in writing of the people, locations, climate and if possible even the photograph on reaching the summit. The details must be submitted to the liaison officer at the base camp.
11) The Ministry will make public its views about mountaineering records after verifying the proof of the details submitted

Trek to EBC holds 7th position in Top Ten 'Once In A Lifetime' Trips

iExplore announced a list of Top Ten "Once-in-a-Lifetime" Trips, as determined by unique travel inquiries at iExplore over the last year on March 7, 2005. Trek to Mount Everest Base Camp (EBC) has been placed in seventh position in Top Ten ranking. Nepal is the only South Asian country to have chosen in this prestigious list. Last year The UK's leading magazine The Observer had ranked the Everest Base Camp in seventh position in 20 Journeys of a Lifetime. Champagne Flight to the North Pole has been registered as number one in the ranking which is followed by Travel to Timbujtu(Mali) and Back and Sea Kayak the Panama Canal.

iExplore founder and CEO, George Deeb, said, "As the Baby Boomers are approaching early retirement, they are less interested in accumulating hard assets at this stage in their life, and they are more interested in accumulating life changing experiences."

Deeb continued, "The above list shows you how far consumers are willing to go to get as unique an experience as possible, providing them with travel memories and 'travel bragging rights' for a lifetime."

Founded in 1999, iExplore(R) is the leading online seller of adventure and experiential travel. iExplore offers hundreds of made-to-order, guided tours that visit the farthest corners of the earth, particularly the man-made and natural wonders of the world.

Top Ten Ranking are as follows:
1 - Champagne Flight to the North Pole
2 - Travel to Timbuktu (Mali) and Back
3 - Sea Kayak the Panama Canal
4 - Stay With a Mongolian Family in the Gobi Desert
5 - Cage Dive with Great White Sharks in South Africa
6 - Camel Caravan Across the Sahara Desert
7 - Trek to Mount Everest Base Camp
8 - Take a Hot Springs Bath in Iceland
9 - Balloon Safari Over the Serengeti (Tanzania)
10 - Walk Rainforest Tree Canopies in the Amazon

24 hrs Hotline Telephone Service at Nepal Tourism Board

To effectively respond the problems tourists and tourism entrepreneurs in Nepal and abroad may come across, Nepal Tourism Board has taken a holistic approach to address these problems by running its Media Center 24 hours which is manned by efficient staff effective from February 23, 2005. The Center is supported by Crisis Response Action Unit already established to facilitate the tourists. In order to better facilitate tourists and tourism entrepreneurs, the Nepal Tourism Board has strengthened Media Centre with extra manpower and Direct Hotline Number to respond the queries and to take necessary initiatives for prompt action. The staff on duty is available at Direct Hotline Number 977-1-4225709 round the clock. Inquiry can be made through fax or email at 977-1-4254298 or mediacenter@ntb.org.np.

The main objective of establishing 24 hrs hotline service at Media Centre of Nepal Tourism Board is to answer the queries of tourists and tour operators regarding the tourism industry of Nepal and to provide information service or any other type of assistance as and when required. Nepal Tourism Board believes that this new measure taken by it will definitely yield positive results in the future in terms of providing additional service to the tourists and tourism entrepreneurs.

New Tourism Service Fee Scheme implemented

His Majesty's Government has issued the Financial Ordinance 2061-62 on January 14, 2005 which has made the new provision for Nepal Tourism Board to collect its Tourism Service Fee of NRs. 565 (including VAT) from Tribhuvan International Airport from the Foreign nationals/ tourists traveling by air only at the time of their departure revoking the previous system of collecting 2% Tourism Service Fee from tourists in different services which includes hotel, restaurant, rafting, trekking, tour, cable car etc. The Foreign nationals/ tourists will have to pay it at the counter of NABIL Bank at the airport along with Passenger Service Charge (Airport tax) while departing from Tribhuvan International Airport. This new scheme is expected to better facilitate the tourists, says Nepal Tourism Board.

Nepal in 2005

The Independent UK asked the travel experts to name this year's top destinations under the banner of Where to be, what to see in 2005. Here is the comments of two travel experts who mentioned Nepal in their interviews. These interviews were appeared in The Independent Online Edition in January 01, 2004.

Steven Berry, owner of Himalayan Kingdoms, UK's leading adventure company and a vetern climber. Travellers are also looking at trekking beyond the Himalaya and the Andes. There are increasing opportunities to go walking in countries such as Laos and Cambodia, where people have only ever really gone to see the sights. We hope things will improve in Nepal, though all our trips went off without incident this autumn.

Piers Pickard, deputy editor, 'Wanderlust' Something that I'm sure will take off this year is adventure travel with children. It's becoming far more common, and for travel agents it's a big area of business. Twenty years ago, mum and dad went off trekking in Nepal. Now they've got two little nippers and they're discovering they can still go.

Mt. Cho-Oyu climbing fee halved

The government has reduced climbing fee by 50 percent for ascending 8,201-metre high Mt. Cho-Oyu for five years (from December 1, 2004 to November 30, 2009) in a bid to encourage mountaineers to use Nepali route while scaling the mountain.

A mountaineering expedition team with seven members had to pay the royalty of US$ 10,000 to climb the Mt. Cho- Oyu. Mountaineers have been using the Tibetan route to climb Mt. Cho-Oyu for sometimes. The Golden Jubilee of the first ascent Mt. Cho-Oyu was observed on October 19, 2004. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation had decided to mark the golden jubilees of the eight thousanders following the success of the Golden Jubilee Anniversary of Mt. Everest in 2003 which had immensely helped boost Nepal’s mountaineering tourism in the international market.

Visa & Trekking Permits on Public Holidays

The offices of the Department of Immigration will remain open on public holidays, including Saturdays and Sundays to provide visa and trekking permits to tourists and trekkers. The Home Ministry says the offices will remain open from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM on holidays. It further says instructions have already been given to the offices to implement the decisions. The process to form a committee had also been started to see whether any change in laws and regulations were needed to help the travel and tourism sector of the country.