Tourism Industry

Tourism Industry

            The business which provides different kinds of facilities to the tourists is called tourism industry. Tourism industry includes those business activities which provide facilities to the tourist such as hotel, lodge, travel agency, trekking agencies, etc. The tourism industry is established to provide various services to the tourist so it is classified as service industry.

Importance of tourism industry:

            Nepal is a tourism centre due to its natural beauty, unique culture and cultural heritage. Thus, tourism industry occupies central position in Nepalese economy. This industry helps to earn foreign currency and also provides employment opportunities. The importance of tourism industry in economic development are as follows:

I.                   Source of foreign exchange earning:

Tourism industry is regarded as one of the major source of foreign exchange earning. This sector contributes about 10% of total foreign currency earning.

II.                Employment generation:

Tourism helps to create employment opportunities. It provides direct as well as indirect employment opportunities to Nepalese people.

III.             Development of handicraft industries:

The development of tourism industry helps to develop handicraft industries in the country because the tourist like to buy the handicrafts goods like idol, Nepali cap, woolen carpet, ornaments, etc.

IV.             Publicity of nation:

Tourism helps to publicize the country in different parts of the world. It helps to publicize Nepalese art, skills, culture, tradition, etc. to the world.

V.                Source of government revenue:

Tourism is also a source of government revenue. The government earns revenue in the form of taxes, visa fee, airport tax, royalty, etc. from tourism industry.

VI.             Cultural exchange:

Tourism industry facilitates cultural exchange. People get opportunity to learn each others art, culture, custom and language. This cultural exchange helps to change the lifestyle of the people.

VII.          Development of human resource:

Tourism industry requires more trained and skilled manpower. As tourism industry expands, there is need to produce a large number of trained and skilled manpower. Therefore, the development of tourism industry helps to develop human resource.

Prospects of tourism industry:

            Nepal is called tourist’s paradise. It is a country of live culture, snow-capped mountains, unique beauty of nature and hospitable people. Nepal is compared with Switzerland of Europe and Kashmir of Asia in terms of natural beauty. Therefore, the prospects of tourism industry are immense in Nepal which are as follows:

I.                   Natural beauty:

Nepal is a beautiful country. It has inherent features like geographical diversity, unique nature of beauty, etc. It has pleasant rivers, water falls and lakes. It has a rare wild animals and birds. It has variety of flora and fauna. Therefore, Nepal is a beautiful country.

II.                Temples and unique arts:

Nepal is a country of temples. The important temples like Pashupatinath, Muktinath, Swayambhu, Krishna Mandir, Ram Janaki Mandir, etc. are famous in Nepal. These temples are attractive to the tourist interest in history and culture.

III.             Birth place of brave persons:

Nepal is a birth place of Gautam Buddha, the light of Asia. Nepal is known as the birth place of brave Gorkhalis.

IV.             Rich culture:

Nepal has special cultural heritage. There is live and diverse culture in Nepal. So, the tourist interested in culture can enjoy in Nepal.

V.                Suitable climate:

The climate of Nepal is suitable for different types of tourists. The climate here is neither too hot nor too cold. Nepal has different climate in different parts of the country due to difference in altitude.

VI.             Rare wild animals and birds:

Nepal is rich in biodiversity. The tourist can observe rare wild animals and birds in Nepal. These things also provide attraction to the tourist to visit Nepal.

VII.          Hospitable people:

Nepalese people are very simple and hospitable. People take tourist as guests and the guests are regarded as the god in Nepalese culture.

Problems of tourism development in Nepal:          

            There are various problems of tourism development in Nepal which are as follows:

I.                   Lack of transportation and communication facilities:

There is lack of transportation and communication facilities in most of the potential tourist destination. Thus, tourism is limited to few tourist destinations like Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and Lumbini where there is easy access to transportation and communication.

II.                Lack of trained tourism manpower:

The trained manpower of different levels are essential to provide quality services to tourists. But such manpower are extremely limited in Nepal.

III.             Inadequate publicity:

Nepal as an attractive tourist destination has not been well publicized in foreign countries. Due to this, tourism hasn’t been properly developed in Nepal.

IV.             Lack of recreational facilities:

50% of the tourist who visit Nepal come for pleasure motives. But recreational arrangements for such tourist are very inadequate. The recreational means like rafing, boating, flying, cable car, etc. are very limited in Nepal. Similarly, the night clubs and health clubs are also limited.

V.                Problem of pollution:

The problem of pollution is increasing in Nepal due to deforestation, unscientific urbanization and industrialization. The health conscious tourist don’t like to visit Nepal due to this problem.

VI.             Deterioration of art and culture:

Nepal is rich in art and culture but there is gradual degradation in Nepalese art and culture. The festivals are disappearing. The idols of gods and goddesses are also disappearing.