Tourism in Pokhara: Issues, Trends and Future Prospects

356 Pages·2013·9.22 MB·English

Tourism in Pokhara: Issues, Trends and Future Prospects for Peace and Prosperity
1
Tourism in Pokhara
Issues, Trends and Future Prospects for Peace and Prosperity
Edited by
Bishnu Raj Upreti
Pranil Kumar Upadhayaya
Tikaram Sapkota
Published by
Pokhara Tourism Council, Pokhara
South Asia Regional Coordination Office of NCCR North-South
and
Nepal Centre for Contemporary Research, Kathmandu
Kathmandu
2013
Citation:
Upreti BR, Upadhayaya PK, Sapkota T, editors. 2013. Tourism in Pokhara
Issues, Trends and Future Prospects for Peace and Prosperity. Kathmandu:
Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC), South Asia Regional Coordination Office
of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR North-
South) and Nepal Center for Contemporary Research (NCCR), Kathmandu.
Copyright © 2013 PTC, NCCR North-South and NCCR, Kathmandu, Nepal
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-9937-2-6169-2
Subsidised price: NPR 390/-
Cover concept: Pranil Upadhayaya
Layout design: Jyoti Khatiwada
Printed at: Heidel Press Pvt. Ltd., Dillibazar, Kathmandu
Cover photo design:
Tourists at the outskirts of Pokhara with Mt. Annapurna and
Machhapuchhre on back (top) and Fewa Lake (down) by Ashess Shakya
Disclaimer: The content and materials presented in this book are of the
respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of
Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC), the Swiss National Centre of Competence
in Research (NCCR North-South) and Nepal Centre for Contemporary
Research (NCCR).
Dedication
To the people who contributed to developing Pokhara
as a tourism city and paradise
The editors of the book Tourism in Pokhara: Issues, Trends
and Future Prospects for Peace and Prosperity acknowledge
supports of Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC) and the Swiss
National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR)
North-South, co-funded by the Swiss National Science
Foundation (SNSF), the Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation (SDC), and the participating institutions.
Acknowledgement
Nepal is a tourist destination with tremendous tourism potentials. Pokhara
is one of the ideal potential tourist destinations in Nepal due to some of
its specific attributes like unspoiled nature, age-old culture and hospitality
attributes of Pokharelis. The centrally located position of Pokhara on the
tourism map of Nepal is strategically supportive to position it as an easily
accessible and reachable tourist destination in shorter travel duration from
the various parts of the country. In nearly last six decades of its opening
as a tourist destination for the external world, Pokhara has been gradually
able to recognize itself as a favorite tourist destination with some tangible
progresses on tourism products, events, amenities, accessibility (air and
surface), service standards, products distribution channels and marketing
and promotion.
The increase of the volume of tourists without compromising the value
(quality and sustainability aspects) has remained the ultimate target
in the context of the planned tourism development efforts in Pokhara.
This tourism-related target in recent times is also associated with
prospect of achieving holistic peace and progress through tourism. In
context of these dual targets (both quantitative growth with qualitative
tourism development), there are a number of thematic issues sensitively
interlinked with the tourism industry of Pokhara. Such issues with their
specific trends range from proper planning and management of tourism
to its economic impacts in people and places of Pokhara, from growth and
standardization of tourism events and services to preservation of cultural
and natural heritages, from ethical aspects for the responsible tourism
operation to the proper management of Fewa Lake, from envisioning the
future with increased tourism products and events to proper marketing
and promotion of tourism in Pokhara. A careful look and scrutiny of all
these interlinked issues of tourism as discussed in this book can have
implications on pragmatic policy and actions for a better tourism future
in Pokhara.
The publication of this book is originally linked with a Partnership Actions
for Mitigating Syndromes (PAMS) project titled ‘Meeting the challenges of
i
Peace-building in Tourism in Pokhara - Strengthening the Corporate Social
Responsibility and Ethical Business Operation’. It was executed jointly by
Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC) and the South Asia Regional Coordination
Office of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR)
North-South in the years 2012-13. PAMS was a PhD research associated
tourism project in the interrelationship between ‘tourism, conflict and
peace in Nepal’ conducted under Kathmandu University. This research
had focused for the responsible tourism development in Pokhara at the
destination level. This book is the outcome of the collective efforts between
tourism practitioners and tourism researchers under the banner of PAMS
project. The research and empirical engagements of this publication were
conducted within the framework of the Research Project (RP) 6 (Business
and Peace) of the third phase under the thematic node 1 (Institutions,
Livelihoods, Conflicts with Swiss Peace Foundation as its institutional
partners) of NCCR North-South: Research Partnerships for Mitigating
Syndromes of Global Change, co-funded by the Swiss National Science
Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
We anticipate that this book written on the various thematic issues
of tourism in Pokhara with conceptual, theoretical and empirical
observations and some pertinent case studies will serve in promoting
tourism in Pokhara and in strengthening the image of paradise Pokhara.
Though list of issues offered in this book is not complete in itself, which
are needed and related with overall tourism sector in Pokhara, we hope
that the book with a total of 13 chapters on 13 different thematic issues is
the first of its kind in the tourism sector of Pokhara. It is hoped that it will
fulfill the knowledge gap and also help build new knowledge on all those
important issues covered in this book.
Our sincere gratitude goes to all who helped us during the course of
preparing this volume. We are especially indebted to the following people
and organizations for their respective supports.
y Steering committee members of PAMS project namely Surya
Bahadur Bhujel, Tikaram Sapkota, Bachhu Ram Tiwari, Basanta
Raj Dawadi, Chirajibi Pokharel and Ramu Gautam (Treasurer of
PTC) and Santhosh Pokharel (Secretary of PTC) at PTC for their
praiseworthy coordination and untiring support in the process
of collection of various relevant information and publication of
this book. Out thanks go to all executive members of PTC for the
support and encouragement in the process of the production of
ii
this book. Furthermore, our thanks go to Saligram Bhandari (ex.
Office secretary), Shanti Kunwar (Office secretary) and Ramit
Devkota (Office boy) at PTC for their administrative, logistic and
accounts-related support in course of the operation of PAMS
project.
y The foremost acknowledgment is there to the tireless efforts of
all the chapter contributors (authors) who agreed to write on the
respective 13 different issues of tourism in Pokhara.
y Dr. Thomas Breu at NCCR North-South and Professor Dr. Laurent
Goetchel and Dr. Andrea Iff at swisspeace foundation for their
regular encouragement in work package 1 ‘conflict and economy’
and in the research project 6 ‘ Role of Private Sector in Peace
Promotion’ with which this book’s publication in connected
through PAMS project.
y Dr. Sagar Raj Sharma, Associate Professor at Kathmandu
University for all of his constructive inputs, encouragement and
supports in the writing and publishing of this book under the
PAMS project.
y Suman Babu Paudel, Research Associate at NCCR, for his
enthusiastic assistance in finalizing the publication and Siddhi
Manandhar, Regional Support Office, South Asia Office of NCCR
North-South, for his logistic helps and coordination in publication
process.
y District Tourism Development Committee (DTDC) of Kaski
district and District Police Office Kaski for unanimously endorsing
PAMS project at its beginning phase and helping to execute
PAMS project which was the base (platform) for the idea and
publication of this book.
y Hem Raj Kafle, Assistant Professor at Kathmandu University, for
the language editing supports.
y Ashess Shakya at Photo Zenith, Pokhara, for offering various
historical photos of Pokhara.
y Our cordial respondents who are the board members of tourism-
related all associations in Pokhara. And known/unknown
informants from tourism trade sector of Pokhara and community-
based village tourism sector in surrounding peri-urban areas of
iii
Pokhara, who formed valuable foundation for the database of
our research for this book.
Finally, we look forward to receiving comments and suggestions from
readers of this volume. The comments and suggestions would be valuable
for future excellence in such work in spiraling the brand of Pokhara as a
true tourism paradise.
The Editors Surya Bahadur Bhujel
Dr Bishnu Raj Upreti President
Dr Pranil Kumar Upadhayaya Pokhara Tourism Council
Tikaram Sapkota
April 2013
iv
List of contents
Acknowledgement ..................................................................................... i
Acronyms and Abbreviations ....................................................................xi
Chapter 1 Tourism in Pokhara: Nepal’s pride and means for
peace and prosperity............................................................ 1
Chapter 2 Historical review of natural and cultural heritage of
paradise Pokhara ................................................................ 27
Chapter 3 Tourism planning, development, management
and envisioning future of Pokhara ..................................... 71
Chapter 4 The Economic impact of tourism in Pokhara...................... 93
Chapter 5 Marketing and promotion of tourism in Pokhara ............ 113
Chapter 6 Socio-cultural impact of tourism in Pokhara .................... 137
Chapter 7 Women’s participation in tourism in Pokhara ................. 155
Chapter 8 Environmental aspects of tourism in Pokhara ................. 173
Chapter 9 Tourism events and facilities in Pokhara: current
status and future potentials ............................................. 193
Chapter 10 Ethical aspects (codes of conduct) for responsible
tourism management in Pokhara ..................................... 225
Chapter 11 Role of tourism in urban-rural integration: reflections
from trekking (adventure) tourism in Pokhara ................ 251
Chapter 12 Fewa Lake and tourism in Pokhara .................................. 289
Chapter 13 Annapurna Conservation: The Crux of
Tourism in Pokhara .......................................................... 315
About the editors .................................................................................. 335
List of tables
Table 1.1 A chronological list of major tourism development
trends/events in past in Pokhara ......................................... 5
v