Turning to domestic tourism Despite the huge potential, the domestic tourism remains untapped Abhilasha Rayamajhi Kathmandu In Nepal, the tourism industry earns 24 per cent of the total foreign currency earnings and provides 200,000 people direct employment. But the international tourist arrivals declined by 46 per cent in 2015/ 16 due to the earthquakes and political unrest. In 2014, the international tourist arrivals by air was recorded at 652,655 which dropped to 300,325 in 2015. This inadvertently led to problems in the industry and realistaion that domestic tourism could help the investors survive. Internal tourism in neighbouring countries is enormous and growing at a high rate. The total number of domestic tourist in India was recorded at 1.28 billion in 2015 according to Ministry of Tourism, India. Similarly, domestic tourist in China wasrecorded at four billion and the total revenue from domestic tourism was RMB 3,419.5 billion. However, domestic tourism in Nepal is in its infancy despite good prospects. The tourism industry is led by the private sector and the government is yet to play a real proactive role for its development. No significant research  According to hoteliers, the trend of Nepali people travelling to explore the country has grown significantly as compared to the past decade due to the increase in disposable income and change in mindset. Prabesh Aryal, Executive Director of Hotel Association of Nepal ( HAN) says, “ About 40 to 45 per cent of the occupancy in hotels in Pokhara is covered by domestic tourists.” Hoteliers and tourism entrepreneurs also claim that on average internal tourists tend to spend more than international tourists. “ However, the concept of domestic tourism is relatively new in Nepal. Further, there have not been any significant research and studies especially in the sector of domestic tourism,” he mentions. The government has introduced a campaign for the promotion of domestic tourism this year and it is a positive move according to him. “ But such campaigns will not do any good if the government does not collaborate for development of infrastructure in the country,” he says. He also mentions, “ HAN has chapters in different parts of Nepal. We are working towards increasing domestic tourism by conducting various interaction programmes between these chapters.” He says that if every stakeholder works towards the betterment then this sector can grow and help in the overall revenue collection. Lack of activities, incentives and packages  “ I am not sure if the government has introduced campaigns to promote domestic tourism in a planned and systematic way,” says Pramod Kumar Shrestha, Managing Director of Emery Travels. He adds, “ Apart from a few promotional activities in social media I have not seen any noteworthy activity to promote domestic tourism from the government.” Domestic tourism is not as affected by political unrest as compared to international tourism. Therefore, the government and the stakeholders must recognise its importance and work seriously towards improving it. “ Let’s suppose a person wants to travel to the Western Region of Nepal but despite the willingness she/ he cannot travel due to lack of information and publicity about the destination,” he says. He further says, “ Even if a person gets to the destination, it probably lacks proper hotels and tourist facilities.” “ Merely throwing slogans and changing the logo is not enough for the recovery of the tourism sector that has declined by almost 50 per cent!” he exclaims. In order to encourage people to travel the government should first implement its plans to develop transportation and road facilities and come up with packages that are cost effective and of high quality. Concentration in major cities  “ During turbulent times of disaster and political problems domestic tourism has helped us to survive,” says Sukra Thapa, Proprietor of Holiday Nepal. From his experience in domestic tourism he says that he has witnessed an increase in 40 per cent. Therefore, it is the right time to enhance domestic tourism as per him. Domestic tourism is mostly concentrated in Pokhara, Chitwan and Lumbini but this is not enough. There are beautiful and unexplored areas in the Eastern and Western parts of Nepal and the government must develop infrastructure to support tourism which ultimately contributes to the GDP. Encash adventure sports  Chairman of Himalaya Expeditions, Bikram Pandey Kaji says there is a rise in domestic tourists for adventure sports such as cannoying, bungee jumping, paragliding, rafting and so on. “ More cost effective as well as high quality programmes must be introduced so that this untapped market can be explored to its full capacity. It is high time the government played a bigger upbeat role and organised and planned realistic goals,” he says. “ People travel either to explore new destination or for entertainment purposes. We should focus on introducing activities such as rock climbing or cycling in order to get more domestic tourists engaged,” says Pandey Kaji. Law enforcing body required  “ Domestic tourism peaks during both English and Nepali New Years especially in Pokhara and Chitwan,” says Bijay Amatya, CEO of Kora Tours. “ Young people in Nepal have also shown an interest to travel and explore unexplored destinations. This has contributed to increase in the movement of domestic tourists,” he says. “ After the natural disaster and blockade, tourism entrepreneurs were convinced that the flow of international tourists would not increase” he says. Thus, for the survival of the industry they focused on domestic tourists. He shares that in a way it is a good initiative to promote domestic tourism as it creates interest among Nepali to travel. “ In the long run such initiatives and policies must be implemented.” He further says, “ However there are challenges in road and transportation connectivity, hotels and lodging facilities and trained human resources.” According to him, tourism in Nepal has great potential to grow into the number one revenue generating industry. The government must now take a more proactive role. “ Many plans and policies have been made in the past. However, they are not strictly followed,” he shares. He says that if tourism both domestic and international is togrow the government must work as a monitoring and regulatory body to ensure that enough market research is done and infrastructure is developed on time. While Nepalis with more disposable income are even travelling abroad as well as in the country, sadly Nepal Tourism Board nor the government has any records or figures of domestic tourism. While the government has gallantly declared this year 2073 as the year for domestic tourism it has done precious little in terms of documenting the number of domestic tourist or starting any research on what can be a very important segment for tourism in Nepal. BOX: “ Young people in Nepal have also shown an interest to travel and explore unexplored destinations. This has contributed to increase in the movement of domestic tourists” Bijay Amatya CEO, Kora Tours  “ It is high time the government played a bigger upbeat role and organised and planned realistic goals” Bikram Pandey Kaji Chairman, Himalaya Expeditions  “ About 40 to 45 per cent of the occupancy in hotels in Pokhara is covered by domestic tourists” Prabesh Aryal Executive Director, HAN According to Jun Mulmi, Head of Business Development at Quest Travels and Hospitality Solutions, “ The trend of Nepalis travelling to countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai has significantly increased.” He adds, “ On average our agency alone sends around 50 Neplais a month for foreign tours.” According to outbound travel agents Nepalis spend around USD 80 per day and take trips which are at least 4 days and 5 nights. According to tourism entrepreneurs over 100,000 Nepali tourists travel to international destinations on a yearly basis and the trend is growing. (The printed version of this article was published on The Himalayan Times- Perspectives on May 22, 2016.)

Inspirational creation

Story of innovative business diaries
  

Abhilasha Rayamajhi 
Kathmandu
Deepesh Nakarmi is a man with a vision and determination. He has initiated and established several business ventures and projects.
The Founder and CEO of Sharda IT Services, Sharda Foundation and the initiator of ‘ This is my Diary’, Nakarmi is well known among today’s youth through his works.
Both Sharda IT Services and Sharda Foundation is named after his mother whom he considers the most significant person in his life. The company delivers I T se r v i c e s through advertising, consulting, system integration and web- based promotional marketing solutions. He says, “ We were doing quite well as a startup company.
We have successfully operated for three years and we are looking forward to business expansion.” During his childhood he had to chang e many schools because his father was a government officer and had postings to different places. This could be taxing on a growing child, however, for him it presented an opportunity to explore diverse places of the country and instilled love for the nation and travel in him.
Since he had financial obligations towards his family he could not focus solely on his studies. Before establishing his own company he worked as a Business Development Manager in Paragon technologies. He says, “ Working for another company offered me a chance to learn how a business works. However, I was never paid salary on time and there were many other challenges.” He says that this is not only his problem but it is faced by majority of youth in Nepal. Therefore, in his company he makes sure that everyone is paid well and on time. Further, he is quite serious about training and development of all his employees.
“ I have observed two types of people in this world. One who exploits people and takes credit for all their hard work and the other who works behind the scenes and help others to achieve their goals,” says Nakarmi. He adds, “ I definitely want to be the second type of person.” According to him, there is a huge scope for digital marketing in Nepal. He says with affordable smartphones and the advent of technology, digital marketing is here to grow. According to him, “ The only challenge I find is unhealthy competition. Most people tend to just copy others rather than being original.” He is also passionate about meeting new people, travelling, organising events and making videos.
“ Perceive me as a person not a Female” is an event that he initiated which later became a series of inspirational videos called ‘ This is my diary’. Till date there are 28 videos which has featured young talents from various walks of life.
“ I was working and making good money. However, I was not satisfied I was searching for an intellectual drive in life,” he says.
Further, he expresses, “ I did not want to end up as a money making machine.
So, I started to do things to inspire myself.” ‘ This is my Diary’ is a youtube channel features stories of unsung heroes that are seen in day to day life.
The project started off as a personal thing for me. But today I get requests from businesses to do it commercially.
And I have worked with some of my clients in the concept of ‘ This is my Diary’ for their business promotions.
“ I am always looking for new ideas and working on different concepts. For me brand value equals to marketing,” he mentions.
Most times he is busy in research works and concept formations for his clients.
Moreover, he is quite occupied in human resource development and team building.
“ Simplicity and innovation is something I always believe in,” he shares.
Not everyone is born talented or gets opportunities.
According to him, however, anyone can be successful if they are provided with the right guidance.

(The printed version of this article was published in The Himalayan Times- Perspectives on May 15, 2016)

I will keep writing

Do what you do the best with all your heart

                                               photo credit: prophecysixgogam.files.wordpress.com 

Abhilasha Rayamajhi

Kathmandu

Writing used to be my hobby. When I was 10, I wrote short stories and essays. At 16, I scribbled poems on life, love and passion. I have always contributed as a writer/editor for my college magazines. Age 19, I had already conceptualised radio shows, wrote my own scripts and presented it as well.

I am 22 now, and I work with the nation’s leading English National daily. In a span of one year I have written on significant issues such as reconstruction, economy, tourism and entrepreneurship in Nepal. I entered the world of journalism with full zeal and enthusiasm. The moment I was given the freedom to choose what I could write about I felt empowered.

My first article was published on May 24, 2015. I wrote about sustainable and disaster resistant households. When I first saw my name on the newspaper, I was in cloud nine! Moreover, the impact the story created was something that instilled a purpose in my work. Writing was no longer just a hobby since then. It became my life’s true calling. It is a medium through which I could express my thoughts and feelings.

However, the world of journalism is not as attractive as it looks from the outside. I am a positive person, but the negativity that I observed in the industry cannot be ignored. Most reporters I meet are unhappy regarding pay issues. It seems like it is quite difficult for a person to sustain in Nepal solely as a journalist. So, most of the reporters are also entrepreneurs, teachers or involved in other professions or have enough parental property to live a luxurious life and their job is just another time pass.

Another frequently discussed topic is ‘by line’. Most of the writers crave to see their name in newspapers, which is normal. Despite the low salary there is an attraction in this industry because you are well recognised. But it is said that by line is not a birth right of a journalist because the company pays you for your service. Ok, fair enough. But once I was shocked when a senior journalist complained about me for I got two by lines on the same page! As if I got credit for the work she did!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

It is truth in the fact that the overall work environment  for young people is not quite encouraging in Nepal. But dwelling on the problems or complaining is not a solution. So what is??

The solution is doing what you do the best with all your heart. For me it is, writing and I will keep writing! 

A- Level for international recognition

Over 500 US universities including all Ivy League colleges and universities in more than 160 countries recognise A- Level

 

 

Abhilasha Rayamajhi
Kathmandu
With the growing trend of internationally recognised education in Nepal, A- Level has been quite popular among Nepali students within a short span of time. A- Level incorporates a wide range of subjects with a comprehensive assessment pattern, which ensures students' ability to compete in the global market.
Over 500 US universities including all Ivy League colleges and universities in more than 160 countries recognise Cambridge International Examinations ( CIE) A- Level programme. A- Level incorporates an international syllabus, which gives their career a competitive advantage.
The programme plays an important role in the d e v e l o p m e• t of the students’ overall personality, enhancing their career prospects at an international level.
R o s h a• Poudel, Nepal topper in Physics in A- Level from Chelsea International Academy is an example.
Poudel recently received a scholarship worth USD 76,000 to pursue Electrical En g i• e e r i• g at New York University in Abu Dhabi and he will be flying to Abu Dhabi this August for his further studies. “ Studying A- Level has helped me get easily accepted in universities abroad as it is well recognised worldwide,” he shared, adding that he did not have to appear any English language test exams like — IELTS or TOEFL merely because he had scored well in his General Papers ( GP) in A- Level.
“ There is no doubt about international recognition that A- Level programme holds," said Mukesh Ratna Shakya, Principal of Andrew J Wild College, adding that it is a superior programme that prepares students for a competitive future. However, the equivalency of A- Level programme with English language exams depends on universities and the student’s performance.
“ Successful completion of A- Level provides students an edge and makes them eligible for admissions in leading universities around the world," said Shakya, adding that more than 125 countries across the globe recognise this programme.
Meanwhile, Colonel Rajendra Verma, AEC ( Rtd), Principal at Rupy’s International School, said, “ A- Level engages a student intellectually and provides independent study skills. Thus, these skills come handy to prepared them for any international university.”

 (The printed version of this article was published on The Himalayan Times on May 8, 2016)

Follow your heart

In challenges there are opportunities

Abhilasha Rayamajhi
Kathmandu
Most young people are confused about their future and end up following the herd. They study certain subjects or attend a particular school because their friends did the same. Some are pressurised by families and society to pursue so called reputed professions such as medicine or engineering even when their passion lies in some other fields. However, there are some individuals who dare to follow their passion despite the challenges.
Aneel Neupane, is one such individual who is living his dream of founding a production company after he dropped out of his CA course in Delhi and left his lucrative job as a Lead Cinematographer/ Photographer at Newgen Internet ( glamrs. com) in Mumbai. He shares, “ My family, relatives and teachers had great expectations from me but ultimately I chose to do what I always wanted to.” “ Dropping out was one of the most difficult decisions of my life but I had to do it. I had to follow my dream,” he says. He adds, “ I was offered a job in Mumbai as an in- house photographer and I did it for a year. However, I reached my saturation point and felt everything that I did was for the company and I wanted to do something in my own country and for myself.” Neupane says that his family are still not supportive because he dropped out of college. He says, “ I want to prove myself by doing great works through my production company Jazz Productions.” Jazz Productions is a start up founded by three like- minded friends with a view to tell stories through visual media. Currently there are nine members in the company.
Jazz Productions works basically on two types of projects, passion projects and planned projects. Under planned projects are documentaries for NGO and INGOs, wedding photography and videos, workshops in collaboration with other companies and the like.
Whereas, passion projects includes miniature photography, animations for music videos and other creative work according to him.
He reminisces, “ I was always fascinated by animation. It was my dream to become an animator and I am living it to some extent. Recently I animated a music video for Rohit John Chettri’s song ‘ Sanani’ .” He says that he is inspired by Fuzz Factory Productions and got the opportunity to work with them for a music video. “ I have a long way to go but when people I admire ask me to work with them I feel accomplished,” he mentions.
Since 2011 he started putting his photography and videos online and people liked, commented and shared.
This was huge motivation for him and now he has more than 10,000 likes on his Facebook page. “ An artist will get several requests from people to sketch their portraits. However, he/ she can only create if inspired and its the same with my work,” he says. Nepali market is not familiar with the kind of work he does so there are several challenges.
“ People don’t understand the value of my work as it is something new for the market. However, in challenges lie opportunities and potential,” he says.

(The Printed version of this article was published on The Himalayan Times- Perspectives on May 8,2016)

Ethical fashion

 

How sustainable is the sustainable fashion industry?

Abhilasha Rayamajhi
Kathmandu
 Fashion and textiles industry is the most polluting industry in the world after oil. Research shows that it can take more than 20,000 litres of water to produce one kg of cotton which is equivalent to a single t- shirt and a pair of jeans. With growth in environmentalism sustainable fashion industry has garnered attention around the globe. Educated and conscious consumers are now concerned about unethical practices in the fashion industry.
The trend of sustainable fashion has also entered Nepal. However, it is not within the reach of the common man and is limited to a niche market. Affordability, limited product range, lack of awareness and access are some of the hurdles it faces. However, sustainable fashion enthusiasts strongly believe that their products are here to stay and make a difference in the world.
Unaware customers “ The definition of sustainable in Nepal is quite vague. It is only associated with durability of the product but sustainability is also making a long term social impact,” says Mingma Diki Sherpa, Founder of Paila. She adds, “ Everyone has the responsibility to reduce their carbon footprint and natural products help. This is the true essence of sustainability.” She says that this is the right time to invest in products that are environment friendly and ethically produced.
Bini Bajracharya, Production Manager at Sabah Nepal shares, “ People are not aware of the benefits of sustainable fashion.
However, we are gradually working on branding and raising awareness about local material like alloo .” Sabah recently became a major partner of the Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative in Nepal.
The programme aims to promote sustainable fashion through various awareness programmes.
Affordability issues About the affordability of sustainable products, Theresa Bastrup Hasman, Country Coordinator of Fashion Revolution Nepal, says, “ I don’t think sustainable suppliers as a whole are expensive.
However, we do need to look at the real cost of manufacturing.” She adds, “ If we don’t want people to work in slave- like conditions, we want them to have a pay on which they can feed their families and educate their children and through that build a better future for the entire country.” According to her it is true that the prices should be competitive, in order for the industry to be commercially competitive, but prices also need to be realistic.
Otherwise the human cost is too high and certainly not something found acceptable in 2016.
Bajrachaya feels cost minimisation strategies are needed. She says, “ We have products like body scrubs which only starts from Rs 150.” Further, they have plans to mix alloo with cotton in order to reduce the price of the products.
Limited resources Since raw materials for sustainable attire are naturally grown it is limited in nature. Further, it takes gradual step by step procedure to manufacture the final product, says Bajracharya.
According to her there are only limited people who are skilled enough to practice the local craft that goes into producing sustainable clothing.
The other challenge is the lack of consistent water supply.
“ Water is critical in any production, but today the industry is in many places polluting rivers across Asia with chemicals.
Although sustainable producers work with dye houses for which purification is taking place, they still need regular supply of water to run efficiently,” explains Hasman. Another big challenge is power supply which makes it very difficult to plan an efficient and reliable production line. This directly results in delivery windows being missed.
Finally, to market sustainable products requires investment and trade. “ Not enough is being done to showcase the excellent transparent producers we have here in Nepal. This is the key for Nepal if we are serious about building a healthy industry. For this we need government and international support,” she concludes.

(The Printed Version of this article was published on The Himalayan Times- Perspectives on May 8, 2016)