English - Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal ...
English - Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal ...
English - Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal ...
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Susta<strong>in</strong>able <strong>to</strong>urism and post-conflict state build<strong>in</strong>gon the <strong>to</strong>urism map of the world. The unique and unmatched culture andhospitality of <strong>Nepal</strong>ese people for ages have added advantage over it.Various publications (Bhatt 2006; Chand 2003; Ghimire 2009; Kunwar2006; Müller-Böeker 2000; NTB 2008a; NTB 2008b.) mention about thisprospects of <strong>to</strong>urism for the economic development of <strong>Nepal</strong> as supportedby rich traditional culture, unspoiled and prist<strong>in</strong>e nature and abundantwildlife <strong>in</strong> milieu of state build<strong>in</strong>g. Some of the dist<strong>in</strong>ctive characteristicslike low capital <strong>in</strong>tensive, endemic resource-based, high labourtilt<strong>in</strong>g,highly resilient and with ability <strong>to</strong> make cha<strong>in</strong> impact <strong>in</strong> the economy,<strong>Nepal</strong>’s <strong>to</strong>urism has <strong>in</strong> fact competitive prospective for larger scale ofsocio-economic mobilisation (Upadhayaya and Upreti 2009).Tourism sec<strong>to</strong>r has attracted the highest private capital <strong>in</strong>vestmentamongst the local entrepreneurs. The <strong>to</strong>tal private <strong>in</strong>vestment as on arecent date would be approximately NRs 100 billion (US$ 1.33 billion).This sec<strong>to</strong>r provides 200,000 direct employment and 1.2 million <strong>in</strong>directemployments (HAN 2007).<strong>Nepal</strong> passed through a decade (1996-2006) of armed conflict. All majorsec<strong>to</strong>rs suffered dur<strong>in</strong>g the decade long conflict and <strong>to</strong>urism was noexception (Bhattarai et al. 2005; Karki and Seddon 2003). The escalation ofthis armed conflict co<strong>in</strong>cid<strong>in</strong>g with <strong>in</strong>stable political conditions, negativemedia hype and travel warn<strong>in</strong>gs from <strong>to</strong>urist generat<strong>in</strong>g countriescompelled the dramatic fall <strong>in</strong> <strong>Nepal</strong>’s image from peaceful <strong>to</strong>urist land <strong>to</strong>an <strong>in</strong>secure dest<strong>in</strong>ation on the <strong>to</strong>urism map of the world.However, the <strong>in</strong>tentional national and <strong>in</strong>ternational media coverage about<strong>Nepal</strong>’s crisis and <strong>in</strong>surgency s<strong>to</strong>ries dur<strong>in</strong>g violent conflict also helped <strong>to</strong>cover and publicise <strong>Nepal</strong>’s fasc<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g natural and cultural attractions. Itcreated positive effects <strong>to</strong> reta<strong>in</strong> the <strong>to</strong>uristic image of <strong>Nepal</strong> for the timebe<strong>in</strong>g and also for future. This shows the comparative and competitiveperspectives of <strong>to</strong>urism <strong>in</strong> <strong>Nepal</strong>. The end of the conflict through thehis<strong>to</strong>rical CPA signed between the Government of <strong>Nepal</strong> and then CPN(Maoist) 4 <strong>in</strong> November 2006 and start<strong>in</strong>g of the peace process have givena sigh of relief <strong>to</strong> the <strong>to</strong>urism sec<strong>to</strong>r.The selection of <strong>Nepal</strong> as one of the 50 places <strong>to</strong> see before you die by BBCTelevision (BBC 2003), com<strong>in</strong>g of 40 per cent of <strong>to</strong>tal <strong>to</strong>urist as repeatedvisi<strong>to</strong>rs and list<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>Nepal</strong> as the most adventurous <strong>to</strong>urist dest<strong>in</strong>ation4Now UCPN (Maoist).94