History of Modern Tourism
Nepal
In 1767 A.D. King Prithvi Narayan Shah united the petty
hill states into a single and integrated Nepal (1825 B.S.). Until the time of
King Prithvi Narayan Shah, Nepal was off-limits to foreigners, particularly
Europeans. The advent of tourists in Nepal in contemporary history was
established by the William Kirk Patrick Mission in 1792. Even though Kirk
Patrick came to Nepal as a military officer to gather data about the country,
his book “An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal” promoted Nepal to foreigners.
Following
the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816, Wallich was appointed a British Resident in
Kathmandu to enhance Nepal’s ties with British India. Following that, British
nationals made regular travels to Kathmandu. From 1850 to 1851, Jung Bahadur
Rana visited Britain, which was important in presenting Nepal to the Western
world. Sir Brian Hodgson and Sir Joseph Hooker later visited Nepal. During the
era of Prime Minister Bir Samsher, French scholar Silva Levy visited Nepal. He
authored a book on Nepal called History of the Hindu Kingdom in French (which
was translated into the Nepali language by Dilli Raj Uprety).
During
the term of Prime Minister Chandra Shamsher, Percival Landon visited Nepal.
Similarly, in 1911 and 1921, King George V and the Prince of Wales visited
Nepal for hunting. The oldest documented record of foreign visitors to Nepal is
found in Percival London’s book ‘Nepal, where 153 Europeans, largely British,
are mentioned to have visited Kathmandu between 1881 and 1925. In 1924, George
Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted to climb Everest but went missing. Other
mountaineers were also granted permission to ascend the peak under careful
monitoring. Despite these achievements, the Rana kings kept Nepal secluded from
outside influence until 1950.
In
1949, the first foreign trekker Bill Tillman came to Nepal to trek and to ABC
and EBC.
The first flight into Gauchaur happened
on 23 April 1949.
History of Nepal Tourism after 1950-1959.
1950/51 (2007 BS) i. The
Rana dictatorship permitted only a few visitors to Nepal.
ii. Maurice
Herzog, a French citizen, became the first person to reach the peak of
Annapurna (8091m).
1951 (2008 BS), 104
years of autocracy of the Rana regime ended.
1952, Tony Hagen, a Swiss
geologist, marketed Nepal to the international audience as the “Switzerland of
Asia.". He was employed by the Nepal government to explore and map the
geography of Nepal, travelled 14000km in the Himalayas, and retired in 1972 AD.
1953 (2010BS) i.May 29, Sir Edmund Hillary (New
Zealand) and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (Nepal) reached the
top of Mt. Everest (8848m) for the first time (2010 BS Jestha 16).
ii.
Obtained membership of
UNESCO.
iii. Modern tourism begins in Nepal.
1955 i.15 June Gauchaur Airport was
inaugurated by King Mahendra renaming it Tribhuvan Airport in memory of the
king's father (2012 Asar 12).
ii.14
Dec Obtained membership
in the UN as 72 members.
iii.Nepal
issued its first tourist visa to Boris Lisanevich, a Russian hotelier King
Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah invited to allow the Thomas Cook Company to send
tourists to Nepal. Boris established the first hotel "Royal Hotel" and began
catering for tourists.
1956 (2013 BS) National
Tourism Council set up the first 5-year tourism development plan under the
Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
1957 The Department of Civil Aviation was formed under the Ministry of
Work, Communication and Transport.
1958 (2015 BS) i.1 July Royal Nepal Airlines
Cooperation (RNAC) was established (2015
BS Asar 17).
ii. 4 July Pokhara
Airport and Simara Airport were built.
iii. 6 July Biratngar
Airport, Bharatpur Airport built.
iv.8 July Bhairahawa Airport
established (2015 BS Asar 24).
1959 i. Tourism board
introduced.
ii. Obtained membership in the International
Union of Official Travel Organizations.
iii.
Statutory regulations regarding Civil aviation were
introduced under the Civil Aviation Act, of 1959 (2015 BS).
iv. RNAC is fully owned by HMG/N as a public undertaking.
History of Nepal Tourism from 1960-1969 AD
1960 Obtained membership of ICAO
1961 Tourism Department was
formed under the Ministry
of Work, Communication and Transport.
1964 (2021 BS) i. Tribhuvan Airport was renamed
Tribhuvan International Airport.
ii. Colonel Jimmy Robert established
the first trekking agency, Mountain
Travel Trekking Agency, now Tiger Mountain. He started Tiger
Tops in Chitwan National Park to accommodate tourists who enjoy jungle
activities. He is regarded as the “Father
of Trekking in Nepal” and a role model in teaching and implementing
management in Nepal's tourism industry.
1965 i.Jun 15 Everest
Travel Service, established the first travel agency in Nepal.
ii.Conquered 8000 + mountains. Established Nepal as the best destination
for expedition and climbing.
1966 (2023 BS). i.Mar 10, NATTA was
established (2022 Falgun27).
ii.HAN established
1967 i.Mar 1, Inauguration of Bhairahawa Bimaghhat under the Indian
govt assistance program of the GON.
ii. Landing of the German airline Lufthansa Boeing 707 at TIA.
1968 i.4 Dec Thai International begins
its scheduled jet air services in Nepal.
1969( 2025 BS) Air
service begins in the private sector, Nepal Airways.
1960-70’s. Nepal became a popular
tourist Hippies destination. Hippies who followed radical and liberal anti-war
philosophy with “mind exploring” activities such as sex, drugs and religion
began travelling in Nepal.
History of Nepal Tourism from 1970-1979 AD
1972 (2029 BS) i.a
Tourism master plan was formulated with German assistance that led to
the concept of spreading economic activity in Nepal.
ii. The Government
of Nepal established the Hotel Management and Tourism Training Center (HMTTC), now the Nepal Academy of
Tourism & Hotel Management (NATHM), to produce a skilled
workforce required by the hospitality and tourism industry.
1973 (2030 BS) i. Chitwan
National Park was officially established.
ii. Nov
1 Established NMA (allows the permit to 27 peaks).
iii. Himalayan Rescue Association established.
1975 i.Obtained membership in
World Tourism Organizations.
ii. Obtained membership of PATA.
1976 (2032 BS) i.Established
Langtang, Bardiya, Sagarmatha, Rara National Park (2032 BS).
ii.Koshi Tappu WLR (2032
BS).
1978 (2035) i.Established
Tourism as a separate Ministry (2033/34 BS Falgun
12).
ii.First Tourism
Act endorsed as Tourism Act 2035 was published.
iii.TAAN was
established to develop and promote Nepal's trekking sector.
1979
(2036 BS) i.Sagarmatha National Park is listed as Nepal's first
natural world heritage site.
ii.UNESCO World Heritage Kathmandu Valley (contains 7
heritage sites).
iii.26 Jan Tourist
Police established (2035 BS
Magh 12).
iv.Hashish and marijuana were legal in
Nepal until the Drug Enforcement Administration was established by the Nepal
government to discourage the use of drugs. Hippie played the ambassador role
and kept telling Nepal's cultural and natural beauties to the outer world. The
film was about hippies and their activities in the Hindi movie “Hare Ram Hare
Krishna” by the late Dev Anand.
History of Nepal Tourism from 1980-1989 AD
1980 (2037) The Department of National Park and
Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) was established.
1982 (2039 BS) i. Civil
aviation was added to the Ministry of Tourism and named
MoTCA.
ii. National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) established
1984 i.Chitwan National
Park is listed as a natural world heritage site.
ii.Shey Phoksundo National
Park was established (2040
BS).
iii.Khaptad National Park was established (2042 BS).
1985 (2042 BS) i.Oct 30,1st amendment of
Tourism Act 2035.
ii.Dec 8 SAARC
membership as founding members.
1986 Oct 16 Reinhold Messner conquered
the Lhotse and others 8000er mount of world.
1987 i.Dhorpatan
Hunting Reserve established (2044
BS)
ii.Koshi
Tappu WLR get the ram sites (wetland) status.
1989 i.Dec 26 NARA established (2046 Push 11).
ii. NAC converts to fully government-owned airlines.
From 1975 to 1991, Nepal became a hot spot
for holidaymakers, adventure seekers, and cultural tourists. The flow of
tourists increased in the Nepalese tourism industry.
History
of Nepal Tourism from 1990-1999 AD
1991 Makalu Barun National
Park established (2049 BS).
1992 (2049 BS) i. Annapurna
conservation area established (2049
BS).
ii. Nepal adopted a liberal sky policy.
iii. 14 Sept, 1st
private airline company of Nepal, Necon Air was established.
1993 (2050 BS) GON
introduced its first-ever Civil Aviation Policy in 2050 B.S.
1995 (2052 BS)i. First
Tourism Policy 2052 was endorsed.
ii. Falgun, Civil
war begins
1996 (2053 BS) the Civil
Aviation Act published.
1997 (2054 BS) i. Kanchenjunga conservation
area established (2054 BS).
ii. Lumbini is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
iii.2nd Amendment of Tourism Act 2035.
iv.
Published Nepal Tourism Board Act 2053 Magh 23.
1998 (2055 BS) i. Mansalu conservation
area established (2055 BS).
ii. Nepal celebrated its first tourism year with the
slogan "A World of its Own. " There were 4,63,684 tourist
arrivals in total.
iii. Established the UNESCO office in Kathmandu.
iv. Dec 31 Established NTB, to promote the tourism sector (2055 Push 16).
v.Dec 31
Established CAAN under the 1996 CA Act (2055
Push 16). (iv -v formed
after repealing Civil Aviation and Tourism Department 2055 BS).
1999 i. The downfall of
tourism in Nepal started with the hijacking of Indian airlines from Tribhuvan
International Airport.
ii. Bhairahawa Airport was renamed
Gautama Buddha Airport.
Dark
period, 1999-2005: due to
Maoist insurgency.
History of Nepal Tourism from 2000-2009
2000 (2057 BS) i. Culture
was added to the Ministry of Tourism and named MoCTCA.
ii. Sirubari village was declared the 1st model tourist
village of Nepal.
2001, i.Royal massacre and
Maoist insurgency contributed to the downfall until 2006.
ii.Sept, TRPAP
was launched in Nepal by GON and UNDP.
2002 i. Shivapuri National
Park was established (2058
BS).
ii. May
2, Mountaineering regulations published.
iii.Nepal Mountain Academy was established
under the MoTCA.
2002/03 i.Celebrated
as Destination Nepal year.
2004 Feb 8 Nepal obtained membership
of BIMSTEC as the last
member.
2005 i.King Gyanedra
coup and suspended the constitution.
ii.8 June Travel
and Trekking agency regulations published.
2006 i. a comprehensive peace agreement between the government and
Maoists was signed (2063 Mangsir 5), declaring Nepal a Federal and Republic nation from the 4th amendment of the interim constitution
2063.
ii.2 June 1st amendment
of Travel and Trekking Agency Regulations.
iii. Sept 9, Rafting Regulations published.
2007 i.6
Aug,1st amendment of Mountaineering regulations.
ii. After the peace agreement between the government
and Maoists 5,26,705 tourists
visited Nepal.
2008 I. Jan 1, TIMS card implemented (2067 Push 17).
ii.2052 (1995) Tourism Policy modified and
named Tourism Policy 2065.
iii.Aug 31 Culture was separated from the Ministry of Tourism and
named MoTCA (2065 Bhadra 15).
iv. 1st amendment of Rafting Regulations published.
2009 Krishnasar
Conservation Area established (2065
BS)
History of Nepal Tourism from 2010-2019
2010 i. Gaurishanker
Conservation Area established (2066 BS)
ii Api Nampa conservation
area established (2067 BS)
iii. Banke National Park established (2067 BS)
iv.
Homestay begins in Nepal 2067
BS Bhadra, 1. (Kavre Gaun, Kaski first official homestay of Nepal (2067 Push 20).
2011 14 Jan “Nepal Tourism Year” with
the slogan “Together for Tourism” with
a target of 10 lakh tourist arrivals, where only 7, 36,215 international visitors visited Nepal. (Inauguration- (2067 Push 30 )
2012, i. 18 May, Again Culture was added to the Ministry of Tourism and named MoCTCA
(2069 Jestha 5).
ii.
Lumbini visit year was celebrated in 2012 (Inauguration- 2012 AD Jan
12) with a target of 5 lakh tourist arrivals.
2013 2nd Amendment
of Rafting Regulations.
2014 Department of Tourism
reformed again (2071 BS Bhadra 2).
2015 i.25 April, an Earthquake
of 7.8 M occurred.
ii. Gautama
Buddha International Airport foundation stone by late Susil
Koirala 2nd International Airport.
2016 (2073 BS) i.April 13, Pokhara International Airport was established as Nepal's 3rd international airport (2073 BS Baisakh 1).
ii. National Tourism Strategic Plan (NTSP) 2016-2025 published
with a target of 25 lakh tourist arrivals till 2025 (2073 BS Jestha 31).
iii. NTB announced 2073
Bikram Sambat as `Ghumphir Barsa´ which means travel year, in a bid to promote
domestic tourism.
2017. i.
Sukhaphanta National Park was established (2073 BS)
ii. Parsa National Park established (2074 BS)
2018 (2075 BS), 6th Amendment of Travel and Trekking Agency Regulations.
2019 (2076 BS) 6 Aug Valley Tourism Office
established. (2076 Srawan 21)
History of Nepal Tourism from
2020-2025
2020
(2077 BS) i. the government forecasted
2020 as the Visit Nepal 2020 "Lifetime experience" year with the
target of 20 lakh tourist arrivals but again, the industry suffered from the
Covid-19 pandemic. After 2022 tourism slowly geared up but the condition is not
satisfactory. Tourist arrivals of 2,
30085.
ii. Dec 8 published
new height of Mount Everest 8848.86 (2077
Mangsir 23).
2021(2078 BS) i.28 Jun Digital-visa introduced (2078 Asar 14).
ii. Nov 17 E-passport introduced,
first issued to Late-Satye Mohan Joshi (2078
Mangsir 1).
iii. Dec 1 Bagmati province tourism
minister established. (2078 Mangsir
15).
2022
(2079 BS) i.May 16, Gautama Buddha Airport was inaugurated with the first
arrival of international airline Jazeera Airways, Kuwait (2079 BS Jestha 2).
ii. July, GON announced 2023-2032 as
the "Nepal Tourism
Decade" with a target of USD125 per tourist per day spending and a target of tourist
arrivals by 10 lakh.
iii.
Tourist arrivals of 6, 14869 with
an average length of stay of 13.1 days
and average expenses of 40.5 USD.
2023(2080 BS) i. Jan 1 Pokhara International
Airport begins its operations with the first arrival of domestic airlines
Buddha Air, (2079 BS Push 17).
ii. Mar
31, E-TIMS was implemented.
iii. Target tourist arrivals of
10 lakh by 2032 as the target of the "Nepal Tourism Decade" and also with a target
of USD125 per tourist per
day spending.
iv. The "Nepal Ghumau, Nepal
Chinau" program will be launched to promote domestic tourism, with
a budget of 80/81.
v.Tourist
arrivals of 10,14882 with
an average length of stay of 13.2 days and average expenses of 41 USD.
2024 i.Feb 9 E-visa introduced (2080 Magh 26).
ii. Mar 17 Pokhara was declared the tourism capital of Nepal (2080 Chaitra 4).
iii. Apr 13 Thamel and Durbar area of Kathmandu open for 24hrs.(2081 Baisakh 1).
iv. Nov 3 Thai Air Asia begins
operation in Gautama Buddha International Airport (2081 Kartik 18).
2025 (2082 BS) Special
Tourism Year.
# Tourism-related necessary regulations can be
made per "Article 56 of the Tourism Act 2035".
#
Policies relating to Tourism highlighted in Part 4, Articles 51,
"L" of Nepal Constitution 2072 (to
develop eco-friendly tourism industries as the main base of the national
economy by way of identification, protection, promotion and publicity of
ancient culture, religious, archaeological and natural heritage of Nepal, to
make environment and policy required for the development of tourism culture and
to accord priority to local people in the distribution of benefits of tourism
industries.)
