News July 2005 Pillion ride ban in Kathmandu New Trekking destinations: Manang & Mustang June 2005 Kathmandu faces acute shortage of drinking water May 2005 Flying on empty April 2005 Robbery in Thamel, Kathmandu March 2005 Kathmandu-Lhasa direct bus service VISA renewal for foreign tourists within five minutes Iourism & Media January 2005 Insurgency situation was becoming really "tedious" and "problematic"

Authorities in Nepal have banned passengers from riding on the back of motorcycles in the capital Kathmandu for security reasons. A government statement said that the country's Maoist rebels had been using motorcycles to launch attacks.

Nepal's newest travel product is the "Upper Mustang Trek". The recent opening of Mustang, an ancient Himalayan kingdom with some of the largest Tibetan monasteries means there is a new destination for those seeking true adventure among the wilds of the Himalayas. March-October is the best time of the year for a trek to Mustang, situated at an altitude of more than 4,000 metres above sea level.

Another new trekking destination are the Nar-Phu Valleys, a hitherto restricted region in the remote Upper Manang valley that is home to just 850 inhabitants. Only a certain number of tourists are allowed at a given time. The region boasts of original Tibetan culture and you need to obtain a special permit to travel there. The more challenging treks are to Kang La, 5,322 metres above sea level and Thorong-La, 5,416 metres.

Mustang Upper Manang Trekking

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June 2005

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May 2005

This time of year, Jomsom should be bustling with trekkers headed down from Thorung La and waiting for flights to Pokhara and pilgrims walking up to Muktinath. This year, all you have are tumbleweeds blown up the dusty banks of the Kali Gandaki by the fierce afternoon wind.
Lodge owners here don't remember things being as bad as this, even in the autumn of 2001. There used to up to 800 trekkers moving up and down through Jomsom during peak season. These days ,there are barely a100 tourists.
If it is any consolation, Pokhara is even more deserted. In fact, the big difference with previous years is that the tourists who are here seem to have skipped Pokhara completely or just overnighted there.
The lodge owners are competing against each other for the stragglers. Undercutting is rife and trekkers have learnt to bargain hard and bring prices down.

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April 2005

On 19 March, I went to Thamel to a money exchange counter to change my hard-earned euros. At 8AM, I was standing outside the counter when a middle-aged man approached me. He asked me what I did for a living and thinking he might be a prospective client, I answered his questions. Then he took me to a corner, flipped an identity card (I couldn't see it properly) and said he was a CID police officer. ....

I don't know his name and I never saw him again. I have thought about this man's language, demeanour and behaviour. I don't think he was a professional conman, in fact he really looked like a policeman. But the fact remains, I was conned out of two weeks of hard-earned money.

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March 2005

The Department of Immigration has announced to carry out the renewal of foreign tourist visa within in five minutes to half an hour anstead of three hours before. The department has started providing this services within this period in the circumstances of completion of the process including the necessary documents and certificates.
Daily 90 tourists come to the tourist visa section at the department for renewing the date of their visa. The department has also fixed the time for the non-tourist visa and freed the service-recipients of the hassle of having to wait for many hours or even days to have their work done.

The tourism entrepreneurs and experts have expressed a grave concern over the inability to present the true picture of Nepal abroad in order to attract more tourists. The past few years that saw record political instability, frequent strikes and violence had sent a bad message in the international arena that badly hit the tourism industry in Nepal. Now, the situation has changed in Nepal .... The tourism industry has also started recovering as the tourist arrival in Nepal has registered a slight growth. ... Those who are conspiring against the interest of Nepal have continued to spread negative propaganda and unnecessary rumours against Nepal in the international media. The concerned authorities, tourism entrepreneurs and Nepali media have not been able to counter these negative propaganda and portray Nepal's good image in the international arena. As a result, many foreigners are still not aware of the situation in Nepal. .... In fact, tourism industry is the backbone of Nepal's national economy. The share of tourism industry in the national income, foreign currency earning and employment opportunities is huge. Tourism industry is the country's largest source of foreign currency earning. .... People and parties may have ideological and political differences, which is natural in a democratic polity. But these differences must not harm the national interest...

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January 2005

According to figures, tourist arrivals in Nepal dropped to 288,000 in 2004 from nearly half a million in 1999 - the most successful year for the sector. Tourism in Nepal has been badly hit since insurgency began in 1996; the political landscape has been pitted with trouble, frightening away all except the most stouthearted tourists. Meanwhile, Britain, Australia and America - all major tourist markets for Nepal - continue to issue security warnings to their nationals about the situation in Nepal.
Tourism officials say that there are no problems for tourists. The Maoist insurgents have never said they would harm our foreign visitors.