Tourism in Nepal - Case Study Example

Assessment 2: Tourism in Nepal Background Nepal is a small country, estimated to cover about 147, 000 square kilometers. It is one of the world’s poorest countries, with a bulk of its population living in the rural areas depending on traditional agriculture (Kelly & Nankervis, 2001). Beside, this landlocked country contains diverse ecological and physiographic characteristics that have since history, attracted a large number of tourists to this small country (Ashworth & Tunbridge, 2000). This rectangular shaped country borders India in the south, the west and the east, and China in the north. Nepal is separated into three wide geographical belts, mountains, hills and Tarai. The country’s diversity makes it a major tourist destination. Indeed, tourism is considered as the major supply of foreign exchange to this country, as well as a major generator of employment. Nepal’s ministry of tourism highlights that the primary tourist activities include trekking, mountain and rock climbing, hot air ballooning and paragliding on top of the Himalaya mountains, bird watching, mountain biking, flights and jungle safaris particularly in the Terai region (Ashworth and Tunbridge, 2000). Map of Nepal Features of the environment that are a major tourists attractions Nepal is a completely mountainous country, apart from the temperate fertile valley stretching across the middle part of the rectangular country, and the lowland Terai plain (Kelly & Nankervis, 2001). The country incorporates eight out of the world’s fourteen peaks. The major tourist attraction is the Mount Everest, which is considered as the world’s highest mountain. Tourists also visit Nepal to view its lakes and river systems. Rivers in Nepal are regarded as holy since they are ever flowing, striking and beautiful with limitless adventure. Some of the adventure activities tourists enjoy include river rafting, water sports, and kayaking. In addition, Nepal is famous for its lakes including the mountain lakes such as the Phewa Lake, Phoksundo Lake and the Rara Lake. Tourists enjoy fishing and boating in these lakes. Apart from the mountains, and the water system, tourists also visit Nepal to view its diverse wildlife species. Nepal is a home to a wide variety of beautiful animals such as birds. Characteristic of the Nepal society Nepal has a population of over 26 million people, comprising of more than 40 different tribes and races. The two main groups in the Nepalese society are the Mongoloids or the Tibeto-Burmans, from the north, and the Indo-Aryans of the south. This is generally a Hindu country though practically, the country is comprised of a unique and complex blend of the Hindu and the Buddhists. An estimated 90 percent of the population is made up of the Hindus, while the other 10 percent is comprised of the Buddhists. The country’s official language is Sanskrit while the native language is the Nepali. However, there is no common culture in Nepal since each ethnic group has its own typical culture (Ashworth & Tunbridge, 2000). A local Nepalese meal is known as dal-bhat-tarkari, which is comprised of a spicy lentil soup that is often served with boiled rice, curried vegetables and pickles or spicy condiment formulated from fresh ingredients. However the Newar community has its own unique cuisine comprised of both the vegetarian and the non-vegetarian items that are always served with either alcoholic or non alcoholic beverages. The music orchestra is mainly comprised of percussion instruments, and in other occasions wind instruments such as flutes are also used. Songs are played according to the season or festival. In the hills tourists are likely to listen to the saarangi, which is a string instrument, played together with a flute and madal. Folklore forms a significant part of the Nepalese society since the traditional stories are grounded on the reality daily life, of tales of love, demons and ghosts as well as affection and battles (Kelly & Nankervis, 2001). Most folktales are enacted through dance and music. Heritage resources in Nepal Most people view heritage tourism as traditional, but this can be significant in enhancing the understanding the history of the place (Garrod & Fyall, 2000). Furthermore, conservation of the heritage does not only imply maintaining the structure of the buildings, but greatly enhances the preservation of the traditional culture, since culture is often viewed as dynamic and undergoing continuous changes (Smith & Robinson, 2006). Nepal contains ten global heritage sites that were confirmed by UNESCO, seven of which are located within the Kathmandu Valley while the other three are outside. All these heritage sites are preserved for the purpose of helping the tourists understand the history of Nepal (Garrod & Fyall, 2000). For instance, the Lumbini, a renowned Buddhist shrine, acts as a historical birth destination of Gautama Siddhartha Buddha, and is thus considered as one of the world’s most religious sites (Kelly and Nankervis, 2001). The Kathmandu Durbar Square is a collection of ancient palaces, temples, streets and courtyards that were used in the historical times. The Bouddhanath Stupa is preserved as a pilgrimage site. The Royal Chtwan National Park consists of mammals, various bird species, amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the park contains hills, flood plains, oxbow lakes and rivers such as Narayani and Reu. Nepal is also a home to the world’s highest national park which is located above 9700 feet. These heritage resources provide an understanding of the country’s resources as they portray the ancient culture and beliefs, Nepal’s history is grounded on. How Nepal become a tourist destination Nepal’s uniqueness, its rich cultural heritage and panoramic natural beauty have acted as major tourist attractions, and hence made the country to be considered as a tourist destination (Garrod & Fyall, 2000). Apparently, most of Nepal’s land surface is composed of the mountain with only a small proportion covered by lowland plains. The mountains act as a tourist attraction, and indeed, it is highlighted that the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest is found in Nepal (Kelly & Nankervis, 2001). Apparently, eight of the world’s highest mountains are found in Nepal. Besides, the country contains ever flowing rivers and lakes that offer experiences such as boat riding, fishing, river rafting, water sports and kayaking. Furthermore the country is a home to diverse wildlife species, together with the heritage sites such as the Lumbini that is preserved for religious purpose (Kelly & Nankervis, 2001). All these unique attractions have made Nepal a major tourist destination. Factors that influence tourists to visit Nepal Motivation factors Human motivations are the major driving forces for individuals to indulge in certain actions and settle on the specific decisions. This is also applies in tourism since tourists normally reconcile their motivations for deciding to take part in tourism with the specific destinations offered to them. These motivations vary depending on the individual attributes such as gender, age, occupation and cultural orientation. Some of the motivation factors attracting tourists to Nepal include the type of accommodation the tourists are offered, the food and drinks, type of tours and tour agents the tourist are offered, and security offered to the tourists. Beside, the prices charged for the services the tourists receive act as motivation that will depend if the tourist will be willing to visit the destination or not. Nepal offers affordable charges for its services, hence making it one of the preferred global destinations. Push and pull factors The Nepalese culture is one of the push and pull factors for its tourism. Nepal is considered as the only Hindu Kingdom in the world. Indeed, 90 per cent of the country’s population is composed of the Hindus and therefore this acts as a major tourist attraction to Nepal. Beside, the country offers pilgrimage tours since it has many temples and the historic shrines such as the Lumbini shrine that is preserved as a pilgrimage site. In addition, the fact that Nepal harbors the world’s highest, mountain acts as a push and pull factor since most tourists are pushed to visit this destination due to its unique physical features. Activities in which tourists engage at Nepal Some of the activities which tourists can engage while in Nepal can be categorized in three major groups which include adventure activities; holidays and sightseeing; and leisure and extras. Holidays and sightseeing Various cities in Nepal provide exceptional sightseeing. A number of them offer monuments, temples, nature Including Mountains, lakes; people and their culture. For instance, the Kathmandu city contains monuments and temples; Bhaktapur is considered as the cultural city, Dharan is a hill town while Pokhara is a mountain city and in fact, it is the most popular tourist destination in Nepal. These cities among others therefore are the result of the increased tourism in Nepal. Leisure and extras These include such activities such as shopping. Tourists usually engage in these activities during their leisure time. In Nepal, Shopping can either be done at street stalls or shopping malls. While tourists go shopping in some malls, they are invited to drink coffee or a soft drink while they discuss on what they want to buy and negotiate for the suitable prices. While purchasing at the street stalls, tourists usually bargain for prices and try to persuade the vendor to offer a cheap price for the goods they are willing to buy. Adventure activities While in Nepal, tourists engage in various adventure activities including trekking, jungle safari, rafting, mountain flights, horse back riding, paragliding, and hot air ballooning. Trekking/walking is considered the main activity and the reason as to why most tourists visit Nepal. Various trekking routes in Nepal include Annapurna hills, Katmandu valley, and Everest base camp among others. Trekking is deemed as a best method to discovering diverse culture and natural beauty of Nepal (Manoj & Rudra 2006). Jungle safaris are also a major tourist activity. Safaris in the Terai are favored by tourists who are interested in seeing Nepal rare array of birds and animals. These animals offer another activity to the tourists: photographing. Tourists usually take photographs of a range of animals and birds found in Nepal. These photographs can be used as sources to write a diary, as keeping a diary is another activity that tourists can engage in. The diary can encompass various information including the cultural heritage, and natural environment. In the current years, sports have also become a major activity for tourists. This is found at the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal. Here, tourists can engage in mentally challenging and physical action sports. Modes of transport used by tourists Individuals visiting Nepal can use various means of transport depending with their home country. Such means of transport as road and air transport can be used in this case. While in Nepal, tourists can also use various modes of transport to the areas of attraction. For instance, in Kathmandu, taxis are the main mode of transport. Whilst using taxis as the transport means, tourists should have a rough idea of the transport fee or use the pre paid taxi booth to purchase tickets to reduce the likelihood of being charged high fares (Manoj & Rudra 2006). Another mode of transport used by tourists is motor rickshaws. However, these are considered much expensive compared to a taxi, and in addition, they are not good for the environment. Electric tempos are very cheap compared to other modes of transport and are also easy to move around. They run different routes through out the cities. Visitors can also use local or tourist buses. The latter, though more expensive is much more effective and mostly preferred by the tourists compared to the former as there is no much congestion. In addition, the bus is deemed to be more efficient for most journeys. Domestic airlines are also used in some circumstances. For instance, in some areas, there are no roads thus; tourists are forced to take flights. Airlines include Cosmic Air, Buddha Air, Royal Nepal, Neocon Air and Shrangri-La Air. How has tourism affected the lives of the people in Nepal Mostly, the impact of tourism is of economic nature. Through direct revenues (the money spent by tourists in their place of destination), Nepal has been able to raise its GDP. Direct revenues also encompass taxes tourists are charged on the goods they buy. These taxes usually go to the Nepal’s government (Manoj & Rudra 2006). However, this money does not fully benefit the local people as it is used for foreign investment. Another impact is guiding the tourists to their destinations, hiring of cycles, and taking care of their belongings. These events provide additional earnings to the people. Lodges and hotels also offer job opportunities to the local people. These activities have resulted to be both of economic and social phenomenon. This is as a result of engagement in various activities that brings modifications in the every day life styles. This is referred to as demonstration effect where by the local people copy the tourist’s lifestyles (Peter, 2003). This can be in terms of the ways of dressing, or owning some of the expensive possessions of the tourists. This behaviour can affect the local people’s culture negatively while trying to copy other people’s way of life. Social- cultural transformation usually relate to local sense of place and value of life. An affirmative transformation in the quality of life may include: cultural entertainments are supported, assists in the range of goods available for sale, and new opportunities. However, environment has been affected negatively due to environmental degradation such as deforestation especially at Himalayan. Tourism also improves the sense of Nepal as follows; stimulating tradition and culture, sense of pride and understanding of culture and history. This is referred to as cultural preservation. Cultural heritage sites which include the Buddhist shrine and the Durbar square which is a collection of ancient palaces, temples, streets and courtyards usually portrays beliefs in which Nepal history is grounded upon (Jafar, 2003) Accommodation available for tourists Nepal offers good accommodation for its visitors. Hotels are the major type of accommodation that is available. The country has various hotels in different cities including Hotel Tayoma in Kathmandu. This is an open air hotel with a restaurant and great personnel. The rooms are of great value with large double bed, phone, TV, wardrobe, table, desk, chairs, table and pleasant décor. The rates are very low, and are determined by the duration a visitor stays in the hotel (Manoj & Rudra 2006). Hotel Lake Palace is also very preferred due to its quality services, but its quiet location acts as a barrier for many tourists. Other hotels in Nepal which provide accommodation to the tourists include Heavens Gate and Hotel Stupa. Gastronomic experiences available for tourists In the contemporary society, the tourism industry has become very competitive and as a result, tourists’ destinations necessitate coming up with strategies which differentiates their experiences from those of their rivals (Pran, 2006). Gastronomy has resulted to be a good strategy. In Nepal, there are a range of gastronomic experiences that are available for tourists. This encompasses such aspects as motivation factors. Some of the motivation factors attracting tourists to Nepal include the type of accommodation the tourists are offered, the food and drinks, type of tours and tour agents the tourist are offered, and security offered to the tourists (Colin et al., 2003). In addition, the country also offers affordable prices for its services. In some cases, Hotels send pick ups as means of transport for the tourists due to the congestion in public means. Components for a brochure Brochures are used as promotion means by companies and industries. The purpose of promotion is to help an industry reach a wider range of customers who as a result will assist in attaining the goals set by such an industry. In our case, Nepal can use brochures to communicate necessary information to the travelers. These brochures may contain such information as available attraction sites, activities, gastronomic experiences, available accommodation and their rates, and modes of transport among others. Conclusion This paper has focused on Nepal as a tourist destination. Though small, the country is one of the major tourist’s destinations globally. This is due to its diversity of its land which provides more alternative of activities for tourists. Some of the tourist attractions as explained above include the natural environment and cultural heritage (Nyaupane, 2009). Nepal’s tourism is seen to have influenced the lives of local people positively through creation of jobs, thus improving their lives, and the economy in general. However, the environment has been affected negatively through various activities that lead to environmental degradation such as deforestation. In order to remain competitive in the tourism industry, Nepal offers various gastronomic experiences for its visitors which motivate them to tour the place. References Ashworth, J, Tunbridge, E. 2000. The tourist-historic city: retrospect and prospect of managing the heritage city. Amsterdam: Pergamon. Colin, M.H., Dallen, J.T., and David, T.D. 2003. Safety and security in tourism: relationships, management, and marketing. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing Series, vol.15. Garrod, B. & Fyall, A. 2000. Managing heritage tourism. 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