Tourism Crisis Management Unit establishes in Chitwan and Bhairawa

An interaction was held in Sauraha in Chitwan and Bhairawa on December 20 and 23 respectively to discuss about the mitigation and coordination of crisis related with tourists outside the Kathmandu Valley. Coordinated by Nepal Tourism Board, the interaction In Sauraha was attended by government officials and head of tourism related associations including Mr. Jamak Bahadur Karki, Chief Warden of Chitwan National Park, Mr. Aditya Baral, Director, PR and Publicity, Nepal Tourism Board, Mr. Shanta Subba, President, Himalayan Rescue Association, Mr. Shankar Sainju, President, Regional Hotel Association, Chitwan, representatives of Nepal Army and Nepal Police. A Tourism Crisis Management Unit has been formed in Sauraha-Chitwan under the coordinatorship of President of Regional Hotel Association Chitwan. The Members of the Tourism Crisis Management Unit Sauraha-Chitwan are Chief of Chitwan National Park Eastern Sector, President, Nature Guide Association Sauraha, President, Sauraha Restaurant and Bar Association, Chief, Nepal Army, Sauraha Gulma, representative of District Administrative Office and Chief, Bartauli Police Post

Similarly, in Bhairawa, an interaction was organized to discuss to facilitate the incoming foreign and Indian tourists from India by land. Interaction was attended by Mr. Hari Krishna Paudel, Chief District Administrative Officer, Rupendhehi, Mr. Narayan Gywali, Local Development Officer, Rupendhehi, Mr. Balchandra Ranabhat, Colonel, No2. Garison Gun , Mr. Uttamraj Thanel, Superintendent of Armed Police, Rupendhehi ,Mr. Bhoj Jang Shah, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Rupendhehi Mr. Aditya Baral, Director, PR and Publicity, Nepal Tourism Board, Mr. Shanta Subba, President, Himalayan Rescue Association, Mr. Sagar Adhikari, President, Siddhartha Association of Travel Agents, Mr. Bishnu Gautam, President, Siddhartha Hotel Association of Nepal among others. Various problems related with tourists were discussed, and it was agreed to form a Tourism Crisis Management Unit-Bhairawa to facilitate and coordinate the tourists during the time of crisis. Tourism Crisis Management Unit Bhairawa was formed under the coordinatorship of President, Siddhartha Asociation of Travel Agents. President, Siddhartha Hotel Association of Nepal will be its Deputy Coordinator. The representatives of Nepal Army, Armed Police, Nepal Police, District Administrative office, Immigration Officer, Tourist Police, Tourism Office are its member. Incharge of Nepal Tourism Board Office, Bhairawa will be its member-secretary.

Elephants score soccer goals, race, show off their beauty as Nepal tries to lure tourists

Soccer-playing elephants used all four feet and even their trunks trying to score goals. Racing pachyderm thundered to the finish line to the cheers of the crowds. And in the elephant beauty pageant, contestants sported nail polish on their not-so-dainty toes.

It was all part of an elephant-themed festival in Nepal that wrapped up Wednesday. The three-day event was held to promote conservation awareness and lure foreign visitors to Nepal.

The elephants were trained for weeks for the games, taking time off their normal jobs carrying tourists through protected jungles near Chitwan. The conservation forest has rhinos, several species of deer and crocodiles and is a popular tourist spot some 106 miles (170 kilometers) south of the capital, Katmandu.

�We hope that the elephant festival will help bring more tourists to Chitwan. We need both foreign and domestic visitors,� said Ghanashyam Shrestha, one of the organizers. Tourism is picking up in Nepal as it slowly recovers from a 10-year Maoist insurgency that killed more than 13,000 people. The conflict ended after the rebels gave up their armed revolt and joined a peace process in 2006.

But the tourists who mainly come to hike the Himalayan country�s many mountains aren�t returning fast enough for some. Nepal received some 600,000 visitors in 2010, short of the goal of 1 million set by the government declaring the Nepal Tourism Year. Organizers of events like the elephant festival � which draws on a popular elephant polo event held elsewhere in Nepal � hope more colorful events will increase interest in tourism.

The final event, a 300-meter race, was won by an elephant named Bajadur Gaj, who pounded his way to the finish line in 69 seconds as thousands of locals and foreign tourists cheered.

Teams of four elephants also played soccer matches using a standard-size ball. The elephants blocked passes, kicked the ball and batted it with their trunks, pushing each other for control of the play.

�Training the elephants to play soccer was not easy but they learned the basic command. They understood they need to hit the ball when I yell �kick� at them,� said Basudev Mahato, 37, an elephant mahout who has been training and riding elephants for 15 years.

The elephants are between 4 and 5 years old. Young ones are easier to train and run faster, Mahato said.

At the Hattishar elephant camp, trainers and workers cleaned up the elephants, fed them a special meal of rice and sugar wrapped in grass and painted them to prepare them for the event.

Over at the beauty pageant, a trainer painted white patterns on an elephant named Loktantrakali, then varnished her toenails bright red.

Judges � who checked contestants bodies� for scars and overall beauty and also watched them perform tricks � picked Loktantrakali as the second-prize winner.

(News Courtesy: AP)

Pokhara Street Festival begins

The 13th Pokhara Street Festival has kicked off in the Lake Side of the western city of Pokhara.

The five-day festival, organized by Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (REBAN) to commemorate New Year 2012, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Wednesday.

The festival venue, which sprawls over an area of 3km from Fishtail Gate to Dihiko Patan, has been fully decorated and is now abuzz with both domestic and foreign tourists. It also hosts around 150 stalls, where handicraft goods to pashmina and other garment products have been put on display.

The festival, organized with a slogan of �Eat on the Street, Dance on the Street and Enjoy on the Street�, plays a key role in promoting the arts and culture of Pokhara, Balram Pahari, president of REBAN, said. At the same time, the festival also promotes tourism and stimulates economic activities, REBAN has said.

Inaugurating the function, PM Bhattarai tried to boost the confidence of tourism entrepreneurs by expressing commitment to develop an international airport in Pokhara, for which, he said, the Chinese government had given a tacit approval. �I hope the new airport will be able to draw more tourists to Pokhara,� he said.

He, however, urged entrepreneurs not to be urban-centric while promoting tourism and tourism-related activities.

�If entrepreneurs can promote tourism in rural areas surrounding the city this would not only raise the income of people residing in those areas but also prolong foreign tourists� visit in our country,� he said. million has been spent so far," the committee said.

Thousands throng to celebrate Christmas In Nepal

Thousands of Christians on Saturday thronged churches in Nepal on the Christmas eve, with the tourist hub Thamel in the capital being decorated with colourful lights and Christmas trees.

Hindus and Buddhists also joined Christians, as people were also seen in restaurants and night clubs in large numbers.

The city wore a dazzling look with Thamel and Durbarmarg, two key tourist hotspots in the city, being decorated with colourful lights, paper flags and Christmas trees to lure the visitors.

Some 600 churches, including the biggest Assumption Church of Jawalakhel, were full of visitors who queued up in larger numbers to offer their prayers. The Federation of National Christian, Nepal is hosting a grand function at Nepal Academy Hall in the capital tomorrow on the occasion.

The function is likely to be attended by government officials, political leaders and dignitaries apart from intellectuals, journalists and persons from business community, C B Gahatraj, general secretary of the organisation said.

Interestingly, cutting across religious lines, apart from Christians, people from majority Hindu and Buddhist community have also been joining the celebrations with equal fervour and enthusiasm. Government has declared December 25 a national holiday to mark the occasion.

At present, the population of Christian community stands around 10 per cent of country's total population.

(News courtesy: PTI)

In this Issue :

Tourism Crisis Management Unit establishes in Chitwan and Bhairawa

Elephants score soccer goals, race, show off their beauty as Nepal tries to lure tourists

Pokhara Street Festival begins

Thousands throng to celebrate Christmas In Nepal

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