Visit Nepal 1998
STEERING NEPAL'S TOURISM INTO THE 21ST CENTURY.........
Nepal as a nation has resolved to revitalise her tourism industry. Tourism inNepal, is the most
important sector of the economy after agriculture, and contributes substantially to uplifting the quality
of life of her people. As a socio-economic activity, tourism touches the life of every Nepali citizen in
one way or another.
Officially declared by His Majesty's Government, "Visit Nepal '98" is today a policy priority for
Nepal, to uplift the quality of products and services offered to our visitors. Through this effort,
Nepal endeavours to achieve higher yields from tourism. Nepal not only will invite more visitors, but
will strive to improve its infrastructure, address issues of environmental degradation and seeks to
have more quality visitors. Visitors such as you, who are sensitive to preserving the destination's
natural and cultural heritage and will pay the right price for right value.
"Visit Nepal ' 98" is the launching pad we have, to achieve this objective. It is not just a year
when Nepal will have festivities, invite you to visit us and have new products on offer. It is our
industry's combined resolve to work towards a process to ensure that we deliver quality in our
products, excellence in service, fully involve all our citizens in tourism and obtain the most yield from
it to benefit our country, our people, our business partners and our visitors.
OUR THEME AND SLOGAN
Our theme for "Visit Nepal ' 98" is A sustainable habitat through sustainable tourism" and
our marketing slogan is "Visit Nepal '98 - A WORLD OF ITS OWN". The theme highlights the
need to make tourism work better for Nepal and ensures we develop environmentally sound
products, inprove our service standards and distribute the benefits of tourism to our people in the
cities and the remotest regions alike. The marketing slogan tells you that there is a 'world' in Nepal
that you need to discover or further explore for yourself. We remind you that our natural resources
are unique and that ours' is a living heritage. We remind you that our people are friendly and
hospitable and our products range is diverse. We invite you to visit us to discover or re-explore the
unique 'world' out here.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
The objectives we need to achieve are:
- Increase the nuber of visitor arrivals and lengthen the duration of saay.
- Enhance the image of Nepal by repositioning it a a unique visitor destination.
- Improve and develop diverse eco-friendly and value based tourism products.
- Create intense awareness of the benefits of tourism.
- Establish measures to ensure regional development through tourism and
- Provide an inpetus to improve and develop infrastructure and effectively deal with
environmental issues.
A lot of work is already being done in Nepal by the government, the tourism industry and all other
related sectors to achieve these objectives. A lot more will be done between now and 1998. The
success of our efforts will depend greatly on your support to our efforts.
ACTIVITY FOCUS
The three major activity areas for "Visit Nepal Year '98" are:
- Infrastructure improvement/development and community involvement initiatives.
- Product enhancement, new product development and staging special events and activities.
- International publicity and promotion.
HOW DO WE ACHIEVE THEME?
Through our activities,
- We plan to position Nepal as a quality destination.
- We shall motivate, train and retrain our workforce to offer the best in service.
- We shall ensure community participation through understanding and involvement.
- We shall enhance our tourism products and add new and exciting product itineraries for you
to select from.
- We shall ensure that your stay in Nepal can be extended further by offering exciting new
events and activities.
- We shall work together and mobilise everyone in our efforts.
- We shall reach out to all our friends abroad and give you the message of the rejuvenation of
Nepal's tourism industry.
- We invite you and request you to invite your friends or clients to visit Nepal to discover this
'world of its own'.
- We request you to use the "Visit Nepal '98' logo and slogan on all your Nepal related
publications and communications.
- We invite you to join us and speak with a single voice to let the world know that there is a
world out here for them to explore.
- We shal together provide the leadership.
TOGETHER, WE CAN DO IT !
We know you love Nepal, we know you care about this country and our people. Who else but you
can be a better Ambassador for Nepal out there in the world arena.
We need to work together, to make "Visit Nepal ' 98" work for all of us. All systems in Nepal
are geared to offer the highest priority to "Visit Nepal '98" project. It is now a part of a national
strategy to reposition Nepal's image.
"Visit Nepal '98" is Nepal's launch pad to steer ourselves into the 21st century. It is a project of
all Nepal and of the world. It needs your help and support to make it work.
We call on you to please spread the message of the new revitalisation of our tourism and of "Visit
Nepal '98". Please fax or mail a copy of this brochure to your friends and call on their support too.
"Visit Nepal '98" is our project. It is our project. Together we can make it work for Nepal and
the world of travel and tourism. Together, with our collective effort and with one voice, we can do
it.
Together, we need to work................
............... for 1998 and beyond.
Please contact the Visit Nepal '98 - Secretariat to learn more about the special programmes and
events we have on offer and on how you can participate and further support our efforts:
APPEAL
To trekkers and nature lovers
Visit Nepal '98 requests you to observe the following trekking rules:
- In your trek, you will come in contact with many village schools. Please communicate your
conservation ideas, knowledge and experience with the local school teachers so that a
multiplier effect of conservation message could be radiated to all the children. If possible,
please also try to make the children know how to respect nature and natural resources.
- Never encourage children to beg. It might give you momentary satisfaction but the begging
child could also turn a professional begger tomorrow !
- Try to be friendly with your porters and guides. You will enjoy your trip more.
- While taking photographs be sure that you are not intruding onto public privacy.
- Respect the villagers and their traditions. In turn they will give you warm hospitality.
- When you trek, ultimately, you enter wilderness. There, you are alone with your porters and
the fragile nature. The slightest negligence and misunderstanding on your part can directly
have a jarring cumulative impact on the delicate balance of nature. Please do not spoil this
natural heritage by thoughtless negligence.
- Carry enough kerosene or fuel for your cooking. Never buy fuel wood from the
villagers: It will encourage villagers to cut down more trees and stock them
unnecessarily.
- We discourage the use of camp-fires. If you really need one, you can ask your porters
to collect dead branches and twigs from the ground. Be sure the fire is out and the
refuse is buried before leaving the camp-site.
- Never buy any wilflife trophies animal products from the local poachers.
- Do not collect any wild flowers, plants, fossils, orchids, rocks etc., unless you have the
permission from the concerned office for scientific research.
- Cutting trees, shooting wildlife and fishing without licences is strictly prohibited.
- Always camp at the prescribed sites. If there is no arrangement as such, then camp on
open ground or on the bank of a river. Do not camp inside a bush cutting away
branches of trees.
- Never pollute the clear mountain water or litter the path with cigarette butts, tin cans,
toilet papers, etc, Please bury them.
- Do not mark initials on trees and rocks. Nature is more beautiful when left undefiled by
human hands.
- In some areas, local communities have established their own conservation practices.
Please make an effort to understand them and to observe them.
- Finally, we sincerely request you to enlighten your porters, sherpas, guides, villagers to
respect nature and how to conserve it. With your help, our natural beauty will be alive
for generations. In turn, Nepal's gift to you will be vibrant living memories.
A Visitor's Guide to Sacred Sites
Namaste and Welcome to Nepal
The serenity and grandeur of the rich culture and natural heritage attract many visitors like you to
Nepal every day. The cultural heritage of Nepal is a living entity. Many religious shrines are in daily
use and their potency is realized through the veneration expected ofthe believers and the visitors.
Though Buddhist and Hindu traditions differ in their religious practices, Nepal has had such a long
history of harmonious syncriestic development of both the traditions alongside each other that many
Hindus revere and visit Buddhist shrines just as many Buddhists revere and visit Hindu shrines. You
are welcome to visit all our shrines. By following some guidelines you can be a helpful visitor in our
time honoured way of life. These, we believe, can make your visit more pleasant and meaningful to
you as well as to us.
- Entry to most temples, stupas and shrines is not restricted. However, some sensitive religious
enclosures and sites may prohibit entry. Signboards are displayed.
- If you wish to enter a shrine, where allowed, you may go around in a clockwise direction.
We believe in putting our Gods to our right when circumambulating the shrine.
- The front side of the shrines are usually marked by a lotus carved stone on the pavement or a
slightly recessed square pit. The image of the carrier of the diety or symbol may be seen on
the pedestal in front. These define the territoriality of the shrine. Reverence to these elements
will put you in a proper perspective.
- Photography is generally not prohibited. However there are some facades or images where
photography is restricted. Watch for these or ask the guards. If you wish to be more
considerate, do not use flashlight inside the shrines when someone is worshipping.
- Do not take any photograph of someone performing his ritual withoug a prior permission.
- Nepal's attitude towards religion is very tolerant one, and many different religions flourish and
mingle here.
- Leather products, such as leather belts, jackets, shoes and bags, are prohibited in most
religious places. Please leave them outside. Your friend or the watchman will take care of
these while you are inside.
- We advise you not to touch offerings or persons when they are on the way to shrines or are
in the process of worshipping. Keep a respectful distance.
- Apart from worshipping of the image, many sensitive rituals are also practised by the
believers around the shrines. These may be related to festive occasions or sombre situations.
By carefully watching the behavious of local onlookers, you can your self behave sensitively
and not be an encroachment.
- If you have meat in your lunch pack, we advise you to eat at some distance from the shrine
precincts. Some of our Gods do not permit animal sacrifices!
- Do not encourage beggars or roaming artefacts' vendors around the shrines by giving money
or bargaining as you walk.
- Please do not accept as gifts or buy objects of art, manuscripts, images etc. Which have
antique value. These need to stay here not only for ourselves but for future visitors like
yourself who would like to share the experience. Whether something is antique or not can be
established by the Department of Archaeology.
- In respect to our sacred sites, appropriate attire is requested. Your body should be
adequately covere.
Thank you for your co-operation to make this country beautiful. Have a nice journey !
Visit Nepal '98 - Secretariat
Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation
Singha Durbar, Kathmandu
Phone: (977-1) 228847
Fax: : (977-1) 227758
e-mail : visitnepal98@mos.com.np