Nepal for all seasons
Nepal for all seasons
Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has formed a 15-member taskforce with an aim to conduct a study on development and promotion of the mountain regions as attractive destinations for expeditions. The taskforce has been formed as per the government decision of carrying out out the study and get the recommendation within 15 days. The taskforce is headed by Laxman Bhattarai, spokesperson and joint secretary at the ministry, and comprises representatives from the travel trade industry, Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Tourism Year 2011 National Coordination Committee, Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation and Department of Survey. The taskforce will…
View DetailMinistry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has permitted Buddha Air – one of the leading domestic airlines – and Air Dynamic to operate international flights. The ministry took the decision after evaluating proposals of four airlines that had shown interests to launch international flights. Buddha Air has been permitted to use Class 'C' airspace while Air Dynamic has received the ministry's nod to use Class 'B' airspace. The ministry has fixed class A, B and C airspace for airlines willing to operate international flights. Class 'A' airspace is for long-haul routes, 'B' for medium routes and 'C' for short routes,…
View DetailTrekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) and representatives of different workers unions signed a 16-point agreement letter on May 28 to address the demands raised by the workers. With the signing of the agreement, the workers unions have called of all their protest programs. As per the agreement, TAAN has agreed to provide appointment letters to workers working with its member agencies as per the previous agreement reached with All Nepal Tourism Workers' Association. Both the sides have also agreed to implement different insurance policies -- search and rescue insurance, medical insurance of Rs 250,000 and group accident insurance of…
View DetailChanges in TIMS provision from April 1 Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) and Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) in a new format from April 1. As per the new provision, two separate TIMS Cards have been introduced for trekkers travelling in groups and those travelling independently (FITs). Trekkers travelling in groups and taking the service of agencies need to have Blue TIMS Card by paying US $10 per person, while the FITs need to have Green TIMS card by paying US $20 per person. Trekkers can…
View DetailTourist arrival in the month of March recorded a robust growth of 34.6 percent as compared to arrival figure recorded in the same month last year. According to data collected by Immigration Office, TIA, and disseminated by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), a total of 44,431 visitors entered Nepal via air in March. Arrivals from the South Asian region, except Sri Lanka, registered an overall positive growth of 35.3 percent. India and China recorded a remarkable growth of 35.5 percent and 114 percent respectively compared in March. In other South Asian markets, arrivals from Bangladesh and Pakistan surged by 53.8 percent…
View DetailThe government is preparing to celebrate the golden jubilee of the first ascent of Mt Dhaulagiri (8,167m). According to government officials, a colorful ceremony will be organized in mid-May in honor of Austrian climber Kurt Diemberger, the only person alive to make first ascent on the 8,000 peak. The successful ascent of Mt Dhaulagiri on May 13, 1960 marked the climax of a spectacular decade which saw all 8,000m peaks, including the majestic Mt Everest, in the country climbed. Mt Dhaulagiri was considered the world's highest mountain until the mid-1800s. The celebration will be organized in the premises of International…
View DetailMinister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat Singh Bhandari on April 11 launched Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011 campaign in Pokhara, the first regional launch for the year-long tourism promotional campaign after its formal inauguration in Kathmandu on February 26. The NTY National Coordination Committee plans to launch the campaign also in Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa and Biratnagar to raise awareness among local people. Bhandari launched the campaign in the lake city by lighting a special torch amid a ceremony at Pokhara Stadium attended by thousands of people from all 16 districts in the region. "By observing the campaign, we plan to…
View DetailRoutine maintenance of Radar at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) has been completed, facilitating the smooth operation of domestic flights. The works had started on April 8. Due to the maintenance work on the radar, 40 percent of chartered and regular flights had to cut their frequency for more than 15 days. The radar was installed under a grant assistance from the Japan government in 1998.Though maintenance works have to be done very seven years, it was done after 12 years. The maintenance cost Rs 42.5 million, according to TIA officials.
View DetailIndia's Kingfisher Airlines has started daily flights on New Delhi-Kathmandu sector from April 24. Along with flights to Kathmandu, the airline also launched flights to Dubai. With these new launch, Kingfisher now flies to five international destinations. London, Bangkok and Hong Kong are the other international destinations of the airline. The airline is using Airbus A320 aircraft on both the new flights. "The New Delhi-Kathmandu flight offers excellent connectivity with Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Leh and London amongst other cities. Kingfisher Airlines’ guests will now be able to fly in from these cities and easily connect with the…
View DetailTwo Korean climbers have gone missing in the Himalayas of Nepal and four others have been hospitalized following an accident due to bad weather conditions, Korean Foreign ministry said on 26 April. “The expedition led by Kim Hong-bin ended tragically while he and his crew were descending Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain in the world,” the ministry said in a statement. Kim and three others have been taken to a hospital in Kathmandu. Meanwhile, female Korean climber Oh Eun-sun, who is seeking to become the first woman to scale the world's 14 highest peaks, is slated to kick off her…
View DetailSouth Korean mountaineer Oh Eun-sun became the first woman to climb all 8,000-meter peaks in the world. Oh reached the summit of Annapurna (8091m) on April 27 to complete her illustrious campaign that she started by climbing Gasherbrum II (8,035m) in 1997. Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner was the first mountaineer to climb all eight-thousanders. After reaching the summit, Oh pulled out a South Korean flag, raised her arms and shouted: 'Hurray! Hurray!!', promoting celebrations across South Korea that had been watching her climb live on television screen. Annapurna was the last of the 14 peaks taller than 8,000 meters that…
View DetailNTB Notice for Participation in Travel Trade Fairs 2009 (Published in The Kathmandu Post on August 4, 2009) S.N Fair/Mart Date Basic Participation Fee (Nrs) Deadline for Application No. of Companies Contact 1 JATA, Japan (Tokyo) 18-20 Sept. ‘09 1,35,0 00/- August 07, ‘09 Four kbista@ntb.org.np 2 BTTF, Bangladesh (Dhaka) 01-03 Oct. ‘09 35,000/- August 21, ‘09 Four mklamichhane@ntb.org.np 3 ITB Asia, Singapore 21-23 Oct. ‘09 80,000/- August 14, ‘09 Four mklamichhane@ntb.org.np 4 WTM London 9-12 Nov. '09 165,000/-* August 10, '09 Twenty rkhanal@ntb.org.np 5 CITM China (Kunming) 19-22 Nov. ‘09 70,000/- August 15,’09 Four kbista@ntb.org.np All tourism companies registered…
View DetailPRESS RELEASE Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal’s (TAAN) attention has been seriously drawn to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation’s (DNPWC) decision to close seven jungle resorts operating inside Chitwan National Park from July 15. TAAN feels that the concerned government offices kept hundreds of tourism professionals in dark by not informing industry people about the terms and conditions of the lease agreement on time. We feel that the government should address the demands of hundreds of tourism professionals – ignoring the demands of a handful of people close to power centers – and close the resorts forever.…
View DetailGhalegaun Tourism Management Committee is organizing Ghalegaun Festival from May 6 to 8 in Ghalegaun village of Lamjung district. The festival is being organized with the objective of promoting tourism in the beautiful Gurung village and conserving local culture and tradition. Cultural performance, village tour and jungle walk are the major attractions of the three-day fair. The organizers have also worked out an attractive tour package for people planning to visit Ghalegaun during the festival. The three-day package will cost Rs 3,200 per person for Nepali visitors and SAARC nationals and $150 for visitors from other countries. The packages consists…
View DetailTourist arrival to Nepal in the first month of 2010 recorded an increment of 18.8 percent compared to the arrival figures of same period last year. According to the figures released by Immigration Office, Tribhuvan International Airport, a total of 26,071 visitors entered Nepal in January. Growth in January was contributed by increment in arrivals from all market segments. Arrivals from India, which contributes one-third of total tourist arrivals to Nepal, grew by 9.9 percent. In the SAARC region, arrivals from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka grew by 43.3 percent, 37.3 percent and 9.9 percent respectively. In aggregate, the South…
View DetailAssociation of Nepal (TAAN) is organizing Lhosar Dinner Ball, 2010 at Hotel Yak & Yeti on February 17. The event is being organized for the last many years to promote Lhosar, the New Year festival of many indigenous nationalities. TAAN has been celebrating the occasion as a fund-raiser event. According to Tibetan Calendar, this is the year of Tiger. Along with traditional songs and dances, musical performances, cultural dances and comedy shows are the other attractions in this year’s Lhosar Dinner Ball. Every year, hundreds of travel trade people, industry leaders, government officials and media people participate in this colorful…
View DetailThe eighth Annual General Meeting of Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) unanimously elected a 14-member executive committee with Ashok Pokharel as the new President. The new team will lead NATO for three years. Manohar SJB Rana, Yadav Khanal, Shibesh Shrestha and Bhakta Bahadur Malla were elected first vice president, second vice president, honorary secretary and honorary treasurer respectively, NATO said in a statement. Similarly, Ambica Shrestha, Bikrum Pandey, Birendra Basnet, Joy Dewan, Shikher Prasai, Prabin B. Pandey, Suman Sachdev, Sanjay B. Mathema and Greesh Bindra were elected members.
View DetailThe Pokhara Chapter of Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) is organizing the 11th edition of Nepal Open Paragliding Championship in Pokhara from February 18. "The three-day event has already become a major attraction in Nepal's tourism calendar. We are organizing the event to promote the adventure sports of paragliding and promote Pokhara as a hub for adventure tourism," a press statement issued by TAAN Pokhara Chapter stated. The organizers are expecting the participation of about 150 gliders and over 45,000 spectators. There will be six events and the top three finishers of each even would get attractive prices. Various…
View DetailGerman paraglider Christoph Andreas Sattler (26) has gone missing in Fewa Lake since February 5. Christoph plunged into the lake while performing a dangerous stunt from the glider. He had taken off from the jumping site at Sarangkot and the mishap occurred when he plunged into the lake by undoing the straps. The German glider was planning to set a new world record by paragliding for 200 times. "His target was to jump down into the Lake by leaving the glider," Ram Bahadur Bhujel, an eyewitness, said. "He drowned because he lost control will undoing the straps." Christoph was in…
View DetailThe five-day PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference & Mart concluded in Kathmandu on February 5. The conference became successful in addressing key issues facing the industry and was successful in creating the industry's awareness and commitments to sustainable and responsible tourism practices. Inaugurating the conference, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal assured his country’s support for the conference by praising PATA’s efforts and commitment. He also held detailed discussion with PATA CEO Greg Duffell about the many challenges facing Nepal’s tourism industry. A total of 30 travel and tour operators from 21 destinations in the region participated in the…
View Detail
