<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121152/636b94c09c7e80680e06f21cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2600" height="1733"/><figcaption>All photos: KRISHNAMANI NARAL</figcaption></figure>After raining every day for the past two weeks since the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/after-the-deluge-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">monsoon rains arrived</a>, Pokhara got a rare respite from clouds on Sunday, bringing the mountains out in all their glory.Because of its low elevation and proximity to the mountains, Pokhara has some of the highest precipitation rates in Nepal, with 3,500mm per year. Nearly 80% of that rain falls in the three months June-August.This year, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-braces-for-monsoon-pandemic-double-hit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">monsoon has been heavier</a> than normal. Swollen rivers have washed away homes in Manang and Mustang, destroyed roads and bridges, and damaged several hydro-electric projects, including the 44MW Super Madi plant that was nearing completion.On Sunday morning the view was best from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/cleared-to-land/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pokhara's new airport</a> and the nearby stadium, which is being refurbished with a new roof and seats.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121152/636b94c49c7e80680e06f21djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2100" height="1400"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121152/636b94c79c7e80680e06f21ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2600" height="1733"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121152/636b94ca9c7e80680e06f21fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2046" height="1104"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/pokhara-locked-down/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pokhara</a> is also completing a statue of Lord Shiva atop of dome in Pumdikot. The 20m high statue has been put up next to the temple on the peak, and locals hope it will attract tourists to the spot from where there is a view of mountains from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-clouds-are-lifting-below-dhaulagiri/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dhaulagiri</a> to Himalchuli, including the entire Annapurna and Machapuchre massif, as well as the Phewa Lake below.The panorama from the Shiva statue on Sunday was all the more spectacular because it was on a monsoon morning.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121152/636b94cd9c7e80680e06f220jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="894" height="1368"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121152/636b94d09c7e80680e06f221jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="894" height="1368">By afternoon, the heat in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pokhara</a> got oppressive, and people thronged to swim below the Phewa Dam that has just been repaired. The dam is  upstream from the popular Davis Falls, which had a few people on Sunday because of the lockdown (above left).

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No visitors in Pokhara to admire view

Nepal’s tourism planners urgently need to update the country’s guidebooks so that visitors arriving in Kathmandu know exactly what to expect, and are not taken by surprise that the country still exists. Here are some suggested revisions to A Rough Guide To Nepal:FACTS ABOUT NEPAL: Nepal is the oldest nation state in South Asia and the youngest republic in the world. It is sandwiched between India and China, and is rich in history, geography and a bit of arithmetic. Nepal is a growing nation. Its mountains are rising at 1cm a year, and its land area increased by 335sq km to 147,516 sq km last year. It can be said that Nepal is still in its expansionist phase.GETTING THERE: Nepal is an adventure destination, and half the fun is getting there. Kathmandu is connected to the rest of the world by regular international flights, however visitors may find it easier and more convenient to simply transport themselves spiritually in the supernatural realm through time and space to get to Nepal through psychic translocation.WHAT TO BRING: Due to the global pandemic, there are some common sense precautions every visitor must take before embarking on a trip to Nepal: masks, sanitisers, visors, latex gloves. Even if you are not planning to climb Mt Everest, it is mandatory to disembark at Kathmandu Airport breathing through a mask and a supplemental oxygen apparatus strapped to your back. This is because Kathmandu is now officially declared to be in the Death Zone.Because of climate change, it is also a good idea to check the temperature forecast before flying out to Nepal. Pack your flip-flops, tank tops (for ladies) and sleeveless t-shirts (for gentlemen) for the leisurely walk up the stupendous Khumbu Waterfall to the green pastures of the Western Cwm.HEALTH TIPS: The good news for travellers is that small pox has been eradicated from Nepal. You also don’t need to be overly concerned about the Covid-19 second wave because there are more serious vector-borne diseases you have to worry about. Here is an abridged list of all the exotic afflictions you can contract while in Nepal: diptheria, whooping cough, tetanus, rabies, hepatitis A, B, C and D, typhoid, cholera, leprosy, yellow fever, giardiasis, amoebic dysentry, Japanese encephalitis, meningococcal meningitis, scabies, syphilis, kala azar, bilharzia, malaria, dengue, tuberculosis, diarrhoea, gonorrhea, and motion sickness.It is recommended that you start taking your vaccines against all the above mentioned plagues at least one year prior to your scheduled departure date and present the certificate before check-in at the city of origin.TIMEZONE: Nepal is 15 minutes ahead of India, but far behind the rest of the world.NATIONAL HOLIDAYS: Nepal is a land of festivals. Predicting the exact date for Dasain, Tihar and other religious holidays is not easy, since unlike the Gregarious Calendar, the country follows a Lunatic Calendar.USEFUL PHRASES:On arrival at Kathmandu airport:Is this the line for PCR forms? = Yo PCR firm ko line ho?Is this the line for temperature check? =Yo temperature cheque ko line ho?Is this the line for visa on arrival? =Yo visa on arrival ko line ho?Is this the line for online visa? =Yo online visa ko line ho?Is this the line for visa fee? =Yo visa fee ko line ho?Is this the line for metal-free X-ray? =Yo 33 kilo soon ko line ho?As you can see Nepal Immigration is "fully on-line".While on a trek:There are fleas in my bed, I'm going back to Tokyo =Malai udus ra upiya le tokyo.I want donut and jam. =                                                                                                     Euta chukka jam dinos.Greetings and civilities:How's it hangin’, bro? =भात खानु भो ?                                                                                           Whose father can do what? =कस्को बाउको के तागत?                                                                               Which way to Pashupatinath? =श्री पशुपतीनाथले हामी सबको रक्षा गरुन।

The Ass

Updated tourist information

<img title="" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121144/636ce4569c7e80680e0966a4png.png" alt=""/>Namche Bazar, the gateway to Mt Everest, is currently abuzz with climbers and trekkers as they prepare to head towards Base Camp after the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/didnt-visit-nepal-year-2020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pandemic closed Nepal’s tourism for a year</a>.The narrow stone-paved streets of this township at 3,500m are once more filled with trekkers and climbers from all over the world, spending a day or two acclimatising before they head up the trail.The start of the season has not been very lucky. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-is-going-up-in-smoke/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Thick smoke from forest fires</a> have disrupted flights to Lukla, and the haze has blown up to Pheriche at 4,300m, blurring views of Ama Dablam and Everest along the way.Many spend their day hiking up to the Everest View Hotel in Syangboche and back to their lodgings to get used to the altitude.The Khumbu region <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-open-for-trekking-from-17-october/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">opened to international trekkers</a> only in October 2020 after <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/unlimited-flights-to-nepal-from-17-october/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">international flights resumed</a>, but there were few who ventured here till now.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-smoky-mountains/">Nepal's smoky mountains</a>, Nepali TimesTotal <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/survive-revive-thrive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tourist numbers in Nepal dropped</a> from over 1.1 million in 2019 to fewer than 230,000 last year --- and most of them arrived before the lockdown January-March. This year, the last three months have seen only 35,000 tourists.But with the start of the spring climbing season, there has been an uptick in the number of climbers and trekkers to the Khumbu.So far, 167 international climbers have got permits to climb Everest, with 39 climbers on Lhotse and 23 on Nuptse. All of them, as well as high altitude guides and support staff, will be sharing Base Camp on the Khumbu Glacier, which is bustling with activity again as it prepares to host 700 people.Despite the slow start to the season, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/capital-of-sherpaland-gets-a-makeover/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Namche Bazar</a> is emerging from its enforced closure. Sonam Norbu runs a shop for climbers and trekkers in one of the stone-paved alleys of the town."It has been only 20 days since we opened up. Most people here actually closed their shops and went down to Kathmandu during the Covid crisis," he says.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tourism-may-take-5-years-to-recover/">Nepal tourism may take 5 years to recover</a>, Nepali TimesBecause of the amenities it provides, Namche is a resting destination for most climbers and trekkers on the Everest Trail. Even as some climbers head up the Khumbu Icefall, other climbers who are booked on the mountains are still arriving.This has been attributed to the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-should-now-allow-visa-on-arrival/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">massive confusion around Nepal’s Covid-19 quarantine and testing rules</a>  Last month, the Ministry of Tourism finally <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/tourist-visas-now-open-for-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">allowed visa on arrival</a>, and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-relaxes-entry-for-tourists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lifted quarantine restrictions</a> for those who had been vaccinated.Even though the numbers of trekkers is picking up, Namche locals say it is much quieter than previous years. Lodge and restaurant owners here are worried about the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-braces-for-its-2nd-covid-wave/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">second wave</a> as well as the wildfire affecting arrivals.Nepal has been recording its worst-ever pollution levels in history, with the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/wildfires-in-nepal-cause-air-quality-to-plummet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AQI index constantly hitting the 'hazardous' mark </a>for consecutive weeks now.For those like Sonam Norbu, the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-hopes-for-tourism-rebound-in-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">resurgence of tourism</a> is hope of a revival of the region’s paralysed economy.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/survive-2020-revive-in-2021-and-thrive-in-2022/">“Survive 2020, revive in 2021 and thrive in 2022”</a>, Alisha Sijapati

Despite Covid-19, climbers are back on Everest

<figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111012110/636cda1f9c7e80680e092edejpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>After much criticism about <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-should-now-allow-visa-on-arrival/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">unnecessary hassles for tourists</a>, the Nepal government has relaxed entry formalities for foreigners arriving by air.Tourists visiting Nepal will no longer have to stay in mandatory hotel quarantine for five days as long as they have a PCR negative report before they board their flight, and again test negative on their arrival in Kathmandu. They will have to stay in a hotel, observing safety protocols until the test results arrive.<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-will-chinese-tourists-return-to-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tourists</a> will also be eligible for visa on arrival at Kathmandu airport, as long as they can provide necessary documents about their itinerary in Nepal that is approved by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) or the Department of Tourism (DoT). The government has also done away with the $5,000 travel insurance requirement.Although it looks at first glance like the government has streamlined a previously <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/call-to-ease-entry-of-tourists-to-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cumbersome and confusing process</a>, tour agencies say it still leaves a lot of grey areas that could still create unnecessary muddles. “Why do arriving foreign passengers have to provide travel itineraries approved by the tourism authorities? What if they are here to visit relatives or friends?” asks an exasperated airline executive, whose job it is to check passenger documents before they board their flights to Kathmandu.Indeed, the new directive stipulates that the same documents that are needed for visa on arrival also have to be presented at the check-in counter before Nepal-bound flights. These include: a PCR negative report taken not earlier than 72 hours before departure or a vaccine certificate, travel itinerary approved by the NTB or DoT, proof of hotel booking.The Cabinet made the decisions at a meeting on 17 March, but the details were only published in English on Monday. Nepal’s tourism entrepreneurs say that although the decision to relax rules seems to be aimed for the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/spring-returns-to-nepals-mountaineering/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spring tourist season</a>, it comes a little too late.“Most trekkers or mountaineers have to make preparations, months in advance. Very few will just get up and go because they can get visas on arrival,” said one trekking agent. The government’s rules have flip-flopped with each new guideline, adding to the confusion. The latest directive does clear the air, but is still vague and leaves a lot to the discretion of the immigration officer at Kathmandu airport. Many tourists had cancelled plans to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tourism-may-take-5-years-to-recover/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">visit Nepal</a> because of the difficulty in getting visas in countries where there are no Nepali missions, and even where there are embassies, they complained that staff in the visa section were either not picking up the phones for enquiries or did not have the correct information.The Tourist Arrival Management Protocol 2077 passed by the Cabinet states: ‘Tourists wishing to visit Nepal should have their agents contact the DoT or NTB for a recommendation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Department of Immigration and convey the necessary documents to the tourists.’ <img width="1004" height="1384" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111012110/636cda229c7e80680e092edfjpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="946" height="1390" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111012110/636cda249c7e80680e092ee0jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="1074" height="1382" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111012110/636cda279c7e80680e092ee1jpeg.jpg" alt="">An official translations of the directive adds: ‘Tourists visiting Nepal through air route (airlines) can access on-arrival visa from the immigration desk at Tribhuvan International Airport in case Nepal’s visa is not available or difficult to avail in the tourist home country. All tourists must present the same documents at the immigration desk which was presented previously at the check-in counter before boarding.’It says that tourists arriving via land route must have visas beforehand. Among the list of documents required for visa on-arrival, are airline check-in and a ‘recommendation letter from Department of Tourism/Nepal Tourism Board for participation in any tourism activities within Nepal’.Again, that list does not mention the recommendation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Immigration Department. Nor does it clarify what the requirements are, for foreign passengers who are not going on a trek or expedition.The directive requires all arriving tourists to get a PCR test ‘immediately upon arrival in coordination with the concerned Association (at their own cost) …if the report is negative, tourists can continue their itinerary…if positive, the tourist must continue to stay in hotel quarantine.’The directive comes as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/thick-haze-adds-to-nepal-covid-19-woes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal braces for a second wave</a>, mainly from travellers from India where there has been a surge in new cases. The daily new case load exceeded 70,000 on Monday for the first time this year.However, the directive does not lay out any extra precautions for passengers arriving in Kathmandu from Delhi, the only Indian city from where flights are allowed at present.‘For Indian tourists arriving in Nepal through air route, the existing provisions will remain as per the Nepal-India Travel Bubble Agreement.’

Nepal relaxes entry for tourists

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110101156/636ccab69c7e80680e08bb83jpeg.jpg" alt="Tourists in Kathmandu" width="1920" height="1080"/>Nepal’s tourism industry has come down heavily on the government for not streamlining the process for entry of foreign visitors even after <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-open-for-trekking-from-17-october/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">four months of opening the sector to limited arrivals</a>.After not getting the desired response from the government despite making numerous requests, 51 companies representing hotels, restaurants and trekking agencies have now taken to the streets near the prime minister’s office in Baluwatar to press their demands.Even the head of the Nepal Tourism Board is impatient with the government’s confusing and contradictory immigration and health rules. He told Nepali Times: “The government is not listening to the experts, and takes unclear and ad hoc decisions which just creates obstacles for those who really want to visit Nepal in 2021.”Nepal and India have seen a drastic drop in the daily Covid-19 infection rate, and for the third 24-hour period last week, there were no deaths due to the coronavirus in Nepal. And with the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/next-up-for-vaccines-elderly-nepalis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">arrival of the vaccine</a>,  the hospitality industry feels the time is right to ease the entry process and make it less bureaucratic.The hospitality sector feels that despite opening up to trekkers and mountaineers in October, Nepal’s immigration, health, tourism and security agencies have not been able coordinate policy so that foreigners can get visa on arrival, reduce quarantine times, and remove other red tape.The number of tourist arrivals, which had been nearly zero since March 2020, started picking up to reach nearly 10,000 in December, but in January it dropped to 8,800. Airlines and hotels blame the sluggish arrival figures on the lack of clarity and on complicated entry procedures.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110101156/636ccab99c7e80680e08bb84jpeg.jpg" alt="Covid tourist infograph" width="1590" height="1341">Foreigners can fly to Nepal, but<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/tourist-visas-now-open-for-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> need a visa before arrival </a>from an embassy abroad, although tour groups with connections can get visa on arrival if their company makes a request. This leaves a lot of room for ad hoc decisions, and confusion at check-in since international airlines flying to Nepal are not apprised of the exact rules.Passengers also need to show reservation at a designated hotel for one week quarantine, and this duration is 10 days if visitors are arriving from countries that are on the government’s list of countries with new strains of the coronavirus. With the new strain now spreading worldwide, experts say this rule is outdated and meaningless.Passengers already arrive with a negative PCR test done 72 hours before flying, and the travel trade wants tourists to be able to get another RT-PCR test on arrival at Kathmandu airport and if the result is negative, to be allowed to go to their destinations within Nepal.They say this the way it is done in other tourism-dependent countries. They also want visa on arrival to be reinstated for those who are vaccinated, and the PCR negative window to be widened to 96 hours before departures from 72 hours.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/survive-2020-revive-in-2021-and-thrive-in-2022/">“Survive 2020, revive in 2021 and thrive in 2022”</a>, Alisha Sijapati<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110101156/636ccabc9c7e80680e08bb85jpeg.jpg" alt="Manaslu trek" width="1920" height="1080">“The quarantine requirement is a joke,” one airline executive said. “There is no one to check if they actually go to a hotel and stay for a week. The requirement is only keeping visitors eager to come to Nepal away for no reason at all.”The Nepal Tourism Board with recommendation from the travel trade had drawn up a more relaxed ‘Visitor Protocol’ and submitted it to the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation on 21 January. There was an expectation that the proposal would be implemented at least in part, but the Ministry rejected the proposal. It also did not agree with a ‘travel bubble’ arrangement so Indian tourists could freely enter Nepal.Facing huge debt and tax burden, investors in the tourism sector were already angry with the government for not agreeing to a relief and stimulus package. The Ministry rejection of the proposal to ease travel has poured oil on the fire. More than a million Nepalis are directly employed in the tourism sector, and the country earned more than $800 million from the sector in 2019.“This is crazy. At a time when we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine, the government is trying its best to discourage tourism,” says Achyut Guragain of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA). “That is why we have no other option but to take to the streets to press our demands.”<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/nepals-tourism-now-has-to-re-start-from-zero/">Nepal’s tourism now has to re-start from zero</a>, Lisa Choegyal<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110101156/636ccabf9c7e80680e08bb86jpeg.jpg" alt="Tourists at Chandragiri" width="800" height="450">Binayak Shah of the Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) agrees. He says hotels are starting to get inquiries from tourists planning to visit Nepal in spring and autumn season, but they are turned off by the convoluted and confusing requirements.“Most tourists from Europe or North America are not yet ready to take a long-distance flight, but there is a lot of potential for visitors from neighbouring India, China and other South Asian countries if the process was easier,” Shah says.To be sure, the government has gone some way in easing restrictions. For example, a person with a vaccine certificate will no longer have to show a PCR negative report before boarding a flight to Nepal. But the rule is not clear what happens after arrival in Kathmandu, whether a quarantine is required or not.Says Pradip Kumar Koirala of the Ministry of Tourism, “We are not trying to discourage tourists, we are just trying to ensure that public health is protected.”Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/model-for-post-covid-ecotourism/">Model for post-Covid ecotourism</a>, Nepali Times

Call to ease entry of tourists to Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110111120/636cd1159c7e80680e08f893jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="845" height="502"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Every crisis is also a chance to improve. The global pandemic wrecked Nepal’s economy in 2020, and its impact will be felt on tourist arrivals for at least the next two years. But it also provides us the opportunity to re-invent the existing model of tourism.This important sector of the economy could do with a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-nepal-brand/">major overhaul.</a> The process should have started during the Covid-induced collapse of tourism, as the hotels, airlines, agencies were just trying to survive, with little indication of how long the crisis would last.It now looks like <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/survive-2020-revive-in-2021-and-thrive-in-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">global tourism will be affected</a> right through the 2020s. Which is why Nepal’s tourism entrepreneurs and planners need to think about riding out the next two or three years, and plan for a revival.The direction we have to take is clear: the benefits from climbing, hiking, wildlife, culture tourism must be more equitably distributed and conducted sustainably. Nepal’s new tourism model has to be high yield, the focus must be on maximum employment generation so people are not forced to migrate, while we also promote self-reliance in agricultural and other items that can be produced locally.Spreading the benefits of tourism also means ensuring that visitor spending is maximised in the regions where it can make the most difference in uplifting socio-economic wellbeing. The existing model diverts most of the money visitors spend on their Nepal package to tourism wholesalers in Europe and other source countries, or agency middlemen in Kathmandu.Nepal’s tourism has been sustained thus far by crumbs that find their way to rural areas. Which is why despite increasing trekking numbers, with some notable exceptions, there has not been significant impact on reducing out-migration from rural areas. In some cases, tourism has even driven up prices, making basic items unaffordable to locals.Tourism netted Nepal $700 million in 2019, making up 8% equivalent of the country’s GDP. There were over 1 million Nepalis employed directly in the hospitality industry, trekking and mountaineering, with many more benefiting indirectly from arrivals.But never has Nepal’s tourism sector suffered as badly as during this pandemic. Only 230,000 tourists came to Nepal in 2020— lower than during the worst years of the conflict, and less than during the Earthquake-Blockade of 2015. (See chart)Ironically, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/instability-to-cost-nepal-dear-in-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal’s foreign exchange reserves in 2020 </a>hit a record-breaking $12billion despite the pandemic. This was because products needed by the tourism industry and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-lockdown-proves-air-quality-can-be-improved/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">petroleum products went down drastically</a>.<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-tourism-may-take-5-years-to-recover/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tourism has hit rock bottom</a>, and there is nowhere to go but up. The question is do we keep on chasing visitor arrival numbers and tally annual hard currency income, or shall we try to redirect the focus to equity and spreading the benefits of tourism?<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-nepal-brand/">Visit Nepal 2020</a> tried to attract 2 million tourists last year, but with the pandemic the campaign was dead in the water. We might have hit the target for visitors had it not been mediocre and ad hoc planning. There was a lack of preparation in the main markets.Nothing had been done to improve the squalour and pollution of Kathmandu and the lack of amenities along the main tourist corridors that had spread a negative image of Nepal through travel blogs. Even Nepal’s once-pristine countryside is now mauled by <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/new-high-way-to-dolpo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">messy road-building</a> which have wrecked scenic trekking routes.Interestingly, despite everything we have done to dissuade tourists from visiting Nepal with the decrepitude of Kathmandu and an inhospitable state, the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/guest-editorial/a-solid-tourism-brand-for-nepal,845">country is still a big draw.</a>The Covid-19 crisis has provided us breathing space. It gave us time to take stock of things, and set things right. The most immediate lesson is to refocus on Nepal’s nature as travelers in the post-pandemic era plan trips to pristine and tranquil areas in search of healing and rejuvenation.This means building comfortable homestays instead of view towers, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/everest-trail-repaired-during-pandemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">keeping trails clean and safe</a> instead of laying concrete steps, and making visa, arrival, local logistics as convenient and smooth as possible. Tourists are not all looking for rock-bottom prices, they want value for money. And despite everything we have done to it, Nepal is still a premium brand.The prediction of post-pandemic travel is that people will avoid long-distance flights. Our promotion must therefore be redirected to the immediate neighbourhood, as well as domestic and diaspora tourists. Visitors will want assurances of health and safety, and will be willing to pay premium rates for the diverse attractions Nepal has to offer.

Survive, revive, thrive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nvOL_MJ2KI&amp;feature=youtu.beFlying from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/more-than-luck-in-lukla/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kathmandu to Lukla</a> today is almost like taking an international flight. Passengers need a negative RT PCR report not older than 72 hours, have to wear masks, visors and latex gloves on the 45-minute Twin Otter flight.  The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/on-thin-ice-in-the-khumbu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Khumbu Valley</a> below Mt Everest is so far coronavirus-free, and residents here want to keep it that way.Which is why they have enforced strict rules on outsiders. Since flights restarted on 17 September, Nepalis who had been cooped up for months by the lockdown are making up for the absence of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/trekkers-welcome-in-nepal-but-conditions-apply/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">foreign trekkers</a>. Non-Nepali tourists are going to be allowed to fly to Kathmandu after 30 October, although many trek reservations have been cancelled. <img width="640" height="359" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb179c7e80680e0802a3jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Ang Jangmu Sherpa (pictured left) owns Rivendell Lodge in Debuche which has a stunning view of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-china-re-measure-height-of-mt-everest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Everest</a>, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. She is happy several groups of Nepalis arrived after the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-allows-royal-himalayan-expedition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bahrain Royal Guard expedition</a> members came last month to acclimatise and train in the area. “It’s not just our Khumbu region where businesses are suffering. The entire world is affected by Covid,” she said. “We have invested a lot of money to build this place, and suddenly we are in the midst of this crisis.”Aside from the economic difficulties, Ang Jangmu is also worried about visitors bringing the coronavirus to the Khumbu. But she adds: “As long as people take precautions, get PCR tests, Nepalis are welcome and that would be good enough for now.”Records show nearly 60,000 visitors entered the Sagarmatha National Park last year, contributing more than Rs180 million in fees and permits. That does not include another levy charged by the municipality, and also what tourists spend on food, lodgings and paying porters.  <figure><img width="960" height="720" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb199c7e80680e0802a4jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The spring season had just started in March when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the government cancelled all <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/hiking-in-the-himalaya-during-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">trekking and mountaineering</a>, and tourists had to rush back to Kathmandu to catch flights out before Nepal went into lockdown on 24 March.There had been zero tourists since then. In September, Nepali trekkers started trickling in and the only foreign mountaineering expedition this autumn climbing Mt Manalsu in central Nepal had acclimatised on nearby Mt Lobuje last month. <figure><img width="640" height="480" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb1b9c7e80680e0802a5jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Many lodge-owners are happy that at least Nepali visitors are finally arriving in the Khumbu after a quiet spring and monsoon, and they see no reason why foreigners should be kept away, as long as they take health precautions. “Either the government should look after tourism-sector workers like us, or it should end restrictions on movements of tourists and allow them to travel to the Himalaya with necessary safety measures,” says mountain guide Dawa Nuru Sherpa (left) in the village of Pangboche. “Porters have no work, hotels are facing problems. We should welcome Nepalis, at least people like us can work and earn our living.”Dawa Nuru was happy that his sons and daughter could work for the Bahrain Royal Guard expedition team on Lobuje, and is glad to see several groups of Nepali trekkers have spent night here on their <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/too-many-mules-on-the-everest-trail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">way to Everest Base Camp</a>.Nepali tourists are taking advantage of attractive packages offered by airlines, helicopter companies and lodges in the Khumbu. Tara Air, for example, is discounting roundtrip Kathmandu-Lukla flights with four days to Namche and back for only Rs14,000. <figure><img width="640" height="359" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb1d9c7e80680e0802a6jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“We wanted to use the opportunity to get to see Nepal," said Bishnu Parajuli from Butwal, who works in Abu Dhabi, and has been stuck in Nepal because of the lockdowns. "We followed all the travel safety protocols to visit Gokyo. It was worth every paisa we spent and every step we took. It was amazing and unforgettable.”Pasang Yangji Sherpa who runs Sherpa Guide Lodge in Phakding was happy to greet visitors after months. As 27 Nepalis arived from Lukla, she had a busy morning last week preparing food and rooms for them. Her neighbor Indra Maya Magar, also a lodge owner, came to help. Pasang Yangji said, “It’s a crisis time but now I’m happy to welcome Nepali tourists. We are following health guidelines, although sometimes in the kitchen or restaurant it is difficult." <figure><img width="640" height="480" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb1f9c7e80680e0802a7jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In Khumjung, lodge owner Lhakpa Dorje Sherpa, who has climbed <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/measuring-mt-everest-because-it-is-there/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mt Everest</a> and Ama Dablam twice each, looks worried. Khumjung is slightly off the beaten track on the trail between Namche and Tengboche, and few villagers wear masks. Last week, he talked to visitors from two metres away, wore a mask, and encouraged them to use his sanitiser.“The PCR tests you do in Kathmandu may not be reliable because you move a lot after that test: you were in a plane, met people after that, you may have caught the virus along the way. We have also heard there are fake PCR reports,” he says. Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality in Namche, has set up health check posts along key trails that require PCR negative reports from all visitors. The municipality is trying to set up PCR testing facilities in Lukla and Namche, not just for trekkers, but also for the porters they hire who are mainly from further down the Valley in Okhaldhunga or Khotang. <figure><img width="640" height="480" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb219c7e80680e0802a8jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“We don’t have the right health infrastructure at present for PCR tests,” says Lhakpa Tsheri Sherpa of the municipality, “for the moment we have no choice but to rely on PCR reports from Kathmandu.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb239c7e80680e0802a9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="359">It is not just the tourist lodges that are suffering, Sagarmatha National Park also depends on revenue from trekker fees to finance its conservation work, and has been hurting from the loss of income.  The Park’s Chief Conservation Officer Bhumiraj Upadhyay (pictured left) has this piece of advice to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/declare-a-health-emergency/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">prospective visitors over the Dasain holidays</a>:  “Please make sure that you get a proper PCR test before coming here. If you do so, you will know that you are safe and you will help people of Khumbu remain safe from the virus.”

Everest Trail reopens, but cautiously

<figure><img width="2048" height="1152" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914114/636ba5a69c7e80680e0736d7jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Foreigners and locals in Pokhara work together to clean up Phewa Lake during the lockdown. Photo: DHARMEN SINGH</figcaption></figure>During the first two months of lockdown when foreign embassies in Kathmandu were rounding up their last remaining nationals to fly home from Nepal, there were some <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/many-foreigners-stay-put-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">who refused to be repatriated</a>. They are still here, and they want to stay put.Immigration Department records show there are still 2,000 tourists who have been in Nepal since March. But over 250 of them from 50 countries have appealed through a Facebook group for the Nepal government to extend their visa permits till December.Some chose not to risk infection by travelling long-distances to go back home where conditions were sometimes much worse. Expensive repatriation flights did not help matters.  “Until now Nepal has been among the safest countries from COVID-19 crisis and it is safer to stay where people are right now,” says Australian Brett Adamek, admin of the Pokhara Noticeboard Facebook group. “Long-distance travel is daunting and dangerous especially when many tourists are elderly. If allowed to stay on, everyone is happy to pay for the extension.”Many of the foreigners staying in Nepal are not just enjoying an extended holiday, they are trying to help increase awareness about preventive measures against COVID-19, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/travellers-stuck-in-nepal-help-locals-in-need/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">raise money for feeding programs</a>, assist in charities, or help farmers with new ideas to raise productivity.In June, the Department of Immigration announced that the stranded tourists would have to pay extra visa fee for overstaying due to the pandemic. After outrage on social media, the Home Ministry <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/no-visa-fees-for-tourists-stuck-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">revised the decision</a> and said extension and overstay fees as well as fines would only be levied 15 days after the resumption of international flights.“As of now we are still going by the decision to allow 15 days after resumption of international flights for foreigners to leave the country. But we are expecting a new directive from the government in a few days,” says Madhusudan Bhattarai of the Department of Immigration. The Department itself has been sealed because a staff tested positive for COVID-19.But many of the foreigners who are located across the country from Ilam, Manang, Pokhara, Jomsom, Khumbu and Kathmandu say they want to remain in Nepal till December, and have promised to be in their best behaviour.Like Adamek, many of the foreigners who found themselves in Nepal when the flights were grounded in March, are nomads travelling around the world for years, and do not really have a ‘home country’ to get back to. Adamek himself is Australian but has been travelling across Asia for years, spending 15 years in Nepal and India. <figure><img width="720" height="499" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914114/636ba5aa9c7e80680e0736d8jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Briton Lesley D Junlakan has been in Nepal since 24 January, documenting her experience of the lockdown through photography. While she does spend five months a year in Nepal volunteering at monasteries in Kagbeni and Pokhara, this year she has not been able to go back to Thailand where she has been living since 2000.“If the government does not to allow foreigners to stay on, I will have to go to a third country because Thailand has not resumed commercial flights and I don’t want to go back to Britain where I have no home or family,” says Junlakan, who has also been supporting families of trekking guides who have no income because of the collapse of tourism.  There is also uncertainty regarding the resumption of international flights. The Cabinet on Monday concurred with the COVID-19 Crisis Management Committee recommendation that regular domestsic and international flights that were set to resume on 17 August be pushed back till 31 August. Airlines say even that date may be pushed back, and when regular flights do resume, their frequency and destinations will be reduced. Nepal Tourism Board CEO Dhananjay Regmi has advised the government to allow foreigners to stay on till December 2020, and charge them accordingly for their visa extension. At a time when even the autumn tourism season looks like it is going to be a flop, it would be logical to keep tourists who want to stay.“Many of them came for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/survive-2020-revive-in-2021-and-thrive-in-2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Visit Nepal 2020</a> and they haven’t even got to experience it. The government’s positive response will also gain Nepal goodwill in the international community,” Regmi told Nepali Times, adding that he expects a positive response from the government.Andrea Anastasiou from Cyprus came to Nepal for the sixth time in late January to experience Visit Nepal 2020. Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) was on her to-do list, but the fear of COVID-19 followed by the lockdown pretty much confined her to a room in Patan."I would love the opportunity to stay on and explore more of the country given if restrictions are eased and it's safer to travel around again. I might not get to trek ABC, but a day-long hike inside the Valley would also be great," says Anastasiou.Cesar Morales (pictured right) was invited to train Nepali tennis players preparing for regional championships and for the Olympics that would have been taking place in Tokyo this week if it had not been for the pandemic. He was supposed to travel to Spain and Italy before flying home to Chicago, but has been stuck in Nepal since 13 March.Morales refused to be repatriated earlier because he did not want to risk infection while travelling long distance, and get back home to two elderly parents at a time when the pandemic was at its peak in Spain. The same reasons are still valid for US nationals stuck in Nepal.“<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-economy-already-weak-takes-direct-hit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal’s economy is struggling</a>, so allowing tourists already here to stay on would help local businesses,” adds Morales who has used his extra time in Nepal to continue training Nepali athletes six days a week in Kapan. “We can contribute not only in terms of economy but with our skills too. Allowing us to stay on will also let us help people here, which is a win-win situation.” <img width="600" height="800" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110914114/636ba5ac9c7e80680e0736d9jpeg.jpg" alt="">Says Junlaken: “Most of us feel safe in Nepal and we have been doing with social distance and safety measures. Nepal government and Nepali people have been very kind to us so far and we are only asking for it to be extended for a little longer.”

Sonia Awale

Stranded visitors want to stay on in Nepal

<figure><img width="1040" height="780" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110912118/636b8acf9c7e80680e06b261jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>British charter company Titan Airways at Kathmandu Airport on Wednesday on the first of its two ferry flights this week. Photo: BRITISH EMBASSY</figcaption></figure>Foreign embassies in Kathmandu are flying out the last remaining of their nationals stranded in Nepal after the country went into lockdown, even as the government extended a ban on international and domestic flights till 30 April.Since international flights were stopped on 24 March, there have been 25 chartered ferry flights that flew in empty to take out 3,748 tourists and expats back to Europe, United States, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2712912542154556/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/groups/2712912542154556/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1586445209004000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHPHzHCTa7yfRL4a9XbKk5AaMD1zA">Australia</a>, New Zealand and Malaysia. On Wednesday alone, some 560 foreigners stranded in Nepal for nearly three weeks were flown out, including the first ferry flight for British nationals. Korean Air is flying to Kathmandu take South Koreans still stuck in Nepal at the end of the spring climbing season in the Himalaya.‘Glad to have helped a full flight of 250 British nationals leave today to go home on our charter. Now working on helping 250 more people get home on Friday,’ British Ambassador to Nepal <a href="https://twitter.com/NicolaPollittUK" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/NicolaPollittUK&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1586445209004000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGWLXpTpK3V2R78IANutic-kwVuLw">Nicola Pollitt</a> tweeted on Wednesday. <img width="640" height="470" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110912118/636b8ad19c7e80680e06b262jpeg.jpg" alt="">Embassy sources said the delay for the rescue was because British nationals were <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/more-stranded-tourists-evacuated-from-nepal/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/more-stranded-tourists-evacuated-from-nepal/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1586445209004000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEJpWaFzhRdFR5jUCTUIgubrLXVSQ">scattered all over Nepal</a>, and the national lockdown made it difficult to collect everyone in Kathmandu for the flights. The UK charter company Titan Airways brought a Boeing 767 to fly out the Britons via Dubai on Wednesday, and the plane is flying back on Friday to take the rest.The Netherlands Embassy flew its nationals to Kuala Lumpur last week where it had collected other Dutch nationals to join a ferry flight to Amsterdam. Malaysia sent a plane to rescue its tourists, and the Australian Embassy chartered a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-airlines-to-fly-stranded-australian-tourists-to-sydney/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-airlines-to-fly-stranded-australian-tourists-to-sydney/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1586445209004000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFW-ajA_XDEEFKwIvZtgNrUYhqoOw">Nepal Airline aircraft to take 270 Australians and New Zealanders to Brisbane</a> on 1 April.Despite the ferry flights there are reports of dozens of European and American tourists who preferred to stay on in Jomsom, Pokhara, Manang and Khumbu. Local media reports quoted some of them as saying that they felt safer being in Nepal.Qatar Airways also operated another positioning flight on Wednesday with an Airbus 330 for remaining Germans and other European nationals, including Ukrainians. This was the fourth repatriation flights organised by the German Embassy since 24 March since when 800 Germans and 300 Europeans have been sent home. <figure><img width="640" height="294" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110912118/636b8ad49c7e80680e06b263jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>German tourists and Embassy staff at Kathmandu Airport on Wednesday on the fourth and last repatriation flight for Europeans stranded in Nepal. Photo: GERMAN EMBASSY</figcaption></figure><figure><img width="640" height="294" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110912118/636b8ad79c7e80680e06b264jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>German tourists stuck in Kathmandu for three weeks arrive at Kathmandu airport for a flight on Qatar Airways to Munich via Doha on Wednesday. Photo: GERMAN EMBASSY</figcaption></figure>More than three thousand Germans had come in the first three months of the year during the peak trekking season in Nepal. Many were full praise for the hospitality shown by hotels, restaurants, drivers and guides, and travel companies showed to them while waiting for their flights. Said German ambassador to Nepal Roland Schäfer: “I am very grateful to those who did not let my fellow Germans down. We got great cooperation from the Minister of Foreign Affairs who called me personally, and from his colleagues who were the first port of call for us.” Schäfer added that the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Police and staff at Qatar Airways worked overtime to organise the logistics to bring the stranded tourists to Kathmandu, and open the airport for the ferry flights.He added that the Germany aid agency GIZ would have liked to bring test kits and other medical equipment needed in Nepal on the ferry flights, but it is not possible. He added: “In the current turmoil, the producer was unable to get them ready on time and bring them to Doha. GIZ will now have to procure them in China and ship them to Nepal from there.”

Tourists stranded in Nepal on last flights out

<figure><img width="1800" height="1200" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110911110/636b7a539c7e80680e064754jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Sunday's Cabinet meeting in Baluwatar where ministers and the prime minister maintained physical distancing. Photo RSS</figcaption></figure>The Nepal government decided on Sunday to extend its national lockdown by another week till midnight 7 April, and to continue the ban on all domestic and international flights till 15 April.The Cabinet made the decision on recommendation of the Coronavirus Control High-level Task Force headed by Defence Minister Ishwar Pokhrel based on the WHO criteria of a safe 14 day incubation period for the virus.The government may have first announced only a weeklong nationwide lockdown so as to soften the blow on the public, and to dissuade hoarders and black marketeers. Public health experts had said the lockdown would not make sense unless it was for a total of two weeks.They said the 14-day period was to prevent imported infections and also to isolate those people coming into Nepal and the people they had come in contact with. A further five day extension after 7 April would help control community transmission within Nepal. However, government sources told Nepali Times, no decision has been made yet on extended the lockdown beyond 7 April. They did not rule out local lockdowns even after mid-April if there were outbreaks of local clusters within Nepal.Sunday’s Cabinet meeting also decided to allow into the country hundred of Nepalis stuck at no-man’s land on the Indian border for the past four days on condition that they self-isolate themselves. It also advised all Nepalis still in India to remain where they are for now. There are reports of 300 Nepali workers stranded in Pune without money and any way to get back to Nepal. Nepal’s lockdown has not affected the transportation of food, fuel and essential supplies from India into Nepal through four border crossings, and Nepal has also opened two of its checkpoints with China for imports.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/lockdown-likely-to-be-extended/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lockdown likely to be extended</a><a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/lockdown-fallout/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lockdown fallout</a>, Editorial

Nepal COVID-19 lockdown extended till 7 April

Earlier this month, Nepal received Rs1.6 billion from the World Bank as part of its <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/will-nepal-ever-be-paid-for-saving-trees">Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF)</a>, rewarding the country for increasing its carbon sink capacity. Nepal is the first in South Asia to benefit from this facility, and it is specifically to recompense the country for increasing forest cover in 13 Tarai districts between 2018-2024. “We are also trying to get another Rs13 billion from the facility while also preparing for free market-based carbon trading in the international market,” says Nabaraj Pudasaini of the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) Implementation Centre. Big emitters of greenhouse gases are under pressure to reduce their carbon emissions, and many have signed agreements to do so by investing in decarbonisation projects in developing countries. Countries that emit more than a specified amount of carbon would be able to buy emission rights from countries that emit less. Nepal is internationally known for its community forestry program which has been largely credited for <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/tree-mendous">increasing tree cover to over 45%</a> in less than three decades. But this achievement had not been adequately recognised or rewarded internationally before. Forests, especially in the tropics, absorb and store large amounts of carbon while releasing oxygen in a process known as photosynthesis. <a href="https://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/en/">Preventing deforestation</a> and increasing canopy cover is considered a much more achievable goal than reducing emission in the scale necessary to limit global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. COP11 in Montreal in 2005 first proposed reducing carbon emissions by improving forest quality by halting degradation. By 2015, a new mechanism of financial assistance was created to help less developed countries with sustainable management of forests <a href="https://www.un-redd.org/">(called REDD+)</a>. Under this new mechanism, countries receive aid based on their efforts to prevent forest degradation and increase carbon sink, and in 2021 the World Bank was entrusted with implementing it. Nepal’s FCPF receipt this month was calculated on the basis of 2.4 million tons of carbon stored at a rate of $5 per ton. In the second phase, Nepal will receive more than Rs4 billion within the next year for storing an additional 7 million tons of carbon. Eighty per cent of this amount obtained from carbon trading needs to be spent on local beneficiaries and indigenous communities.&nbsp; But carbon trading is not easy, Nepal needs to prove that protected forests will not be destroyed in future.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241121091132_c8a381c9a95aa86fec558951650d97bb87914741f01766982ba2b086af001f16.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20241121091132_c8a381c9a95aa86fec558951650d97bb87914741f01766982ba2b086af001f16" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="999" loading="lazy" alt="Greenbacks for greenery NT "> <figcaption>Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption> </figure>  Explains carbon trading expert Yugan Manandhar. “Forests should be handed over to the community and shown that they are managed sustainably. Proving this will be particularly challenging; forest encroachment and degradation is rife in the Tarai.” <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/nepal-is-going-up-in-smoke">Deliberate forest fires</a> have also added to the challenge because they increase carbon emissions and reduce the sink capacity of forests. The basis for the amount that Nepal received was set five years ago by calculating the carbon reserves of forests in the 13 Tarai districts. In the meantime, sustainable forest management, tree plantation, forest destruction and erosion control were prioritised to increase carbon reserves in those forests. Nepal is signing another carbon trading agreement during the ongoing Baku climate conference. The <a href="https://www.leafcoalition.org/">Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance (LEAF Coalition) </a>proposes to sell the carbon stored in the forests of Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. For this, Nepal signed the letter of intent three years ago at COP26 in Glasgow. The target is to store 70 million tons of carbon in 32 million hectares of forest in the three provinces per which Nepal will receive Rs13 billion in four years at $10 per ton with provisions to increase the rate if various conditions are met. However, the agreement in itself doesn’t guarantee the amount. According to the targets set by Nepal, forest degradation should be stopped and carbon reserves increased by protecting tree cover. Preparations are also underway for clean air carbon trade because it has offset fossil fuel use by introducing 30,000 electric vehicles. Nepal has been selected for the first round to receive $40 million within one and a half years through the Clean Air System of the World Bank. Given that most of Nepal’s energy mix is from biomass, replacing them with electric stoves can significantly improve health by reducing indoor pollution as well as strengthen the country’s capacity for carbon trade. “Nepal's goal now is to sell carbon in the free market where carbon credits are bought and sold based on supply and demand in an open and transparent manner,” adds Pudasaini of the REDD Implementation Centre. “Nepal can now set its own price and bargain with interested buyer countries and organisations.” Lately, India has been discussing setting up a carbon market. Nepal has exported Rs12.72 billion worth of electricity to India so far this fiscal year, which can be traded under Nepal’s carbon market. “Carbon trading can create significant economic benefits for Nepal, which will help reinvest in development and environmental protection projects,” says Manandhar. “But we must prioritise sustainable management of forests, cutting older trees and allowing regrowth as well as promoting electric stoves and electric vehicles.”

Greenbacks for greenery

Khukri Rum is <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=3719#.WurBk6SFPIU">one of Nepal’s most iconic brands</a>, and is now launching a new Cask Series premium product to sell in Nepal and abroad. The Cask Series Smoked Finish Khukri Rum is a limited edition sipping rum with only about 5,200 bottles made for export and rum connoisseurs in Nepal. Each bottle is numbered and will mention the cask from which it is derived. “We are taking a classic Nepali liquor to a premium, luxury rum category. Each Cask Series flavour line will only be produced once,” explains Shuvash Lamichhane, General Manager of The Nepal Distilleries that first started making Khukri rum in 1959 in Balaju and has never stopped. Fermented from molasses in the Tarai after the annual sugarcane harvest, the rum is matured for at least eight months during distillation. The distillery bottles the classic Khukri XXX, Coronation Khukri XXX, Khukri White Rum and Khukri Spiced Rum. It is now adding this limited edition of the Cask Series. While the original rum is stored in huge wooden vats, the rum used for this more exclusive line is in smaller casks made from oak or sal, with charred insides that give the rum a smoky, smoother flavour. The Cask Series rum is indeed smokier than the classic, while the spiced rum tastes toasty and mostly of cardamom. These flavours are carefully crafted by blenders and tasters who have to pass regular palate tests.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241122131124_10b8ddca93b37b0348bf964b4f09e7fac6ef4e754cca6231368850539cd558e2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241122131124_10b8ddca93b37b0348bf964b4f09e7fac6ef4e754cca6231368850539cd558e2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1498" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Khukri Rum"> </figure>  The packaging for the Cask Series is as special as the process. A sturdy patterned box that opens up to a black glass bottle with gold lettering, and an indication of which cask the rum is from. These are then shipped to premium customers around the world One of the reasons this is the more expensive premium line is because the casks are smaller than the vats and the blenders reject more than half of the rum in the casks when the aging period is complete. The trick for the blender is also to decide when to take the rum out of the cask. Says Lamichhane: “If we have 25 casks, only ten might match the flavour profile for a certain series.” Over the decades, The Nepal Distilleries has created and maintained a brand that feels quintessentially Nepali, and serves as Nepal’s ‘ambassador’ with exports to Germany, Korea, Belgium, Finland, the Czech Republic, besides the existing markets among Nepalis in the US, UK, Hong Kong and Australia. Its unique <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/khukri-rum-sharpens-its-act">khukri shaped bottle</a> first introduced for King Birendra’s coronation in 1975 has been a collector’s item. The bottle and rum have been a staple for Nepalis and visitors to take as gifts when they leave the country, and is used as decoration on bar tables around the world. Now, nearly 40 years later, even that bottle will soon be getting a makeover with a sharper design and sleeker handle. “Our bottle design has always been instantly recognisable,” says Lamichhane.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241122131124_b9474db3fc83c85845348dddc30c49652ee1f17229531867fa241de50849cedc.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20241122131124_b9474db3fc83c85845348dddc30c49652ee1f17229531867fa241de50849cedc" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Khukri Rum NT"> <figcaption>Christopher Armes, master blender of the Cask Series.</figcaption> </figure>  The Himalayan restaurant at The Hague, for example, has a Khukri Coronation bottle<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/from-the-himalaya-to-holland"> adorning its bar</a>. In Washington DC, Himalayan Heritage Restaurant &amp; Bar offers a ‘Nepalese Khukri Rum’ mojito with fresh mint, soda water, lime juice and sugar syrup, for $12. A distinct element of the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/business/khukri-rum-gets-award">award-winning classic Khukri rum</a> is its 'modern auburn' colour from caramel sourced from cooking sugar and blended with the raw rum. The spirits are then stored in a warehouse with floor-to-ceiling vats which are not just for storage, as the wood imparts flavour into the rum, and removes a lot of the harshness. &nbsp; On a visit this week, the bottling room was just about to begin for the day and the production line was churning out different shapes and sizes of Khukri bottles. Most of the process is automated, including screwing bottle caps, sticking labels, placing the government seal, and packaging. The only manual intervention is quality control where bottles are held against the light to check for sediment and colour.

Khukri goes premium with new rum

Turkish Airlines has introduced a new amenity kit collection designed in collaboration with French fashion house Lanvin for international business class passengers on flights more than five hours. It consists of five pieces designed for sustainability and elegance. Bags are reusable and will consist of Lanvin cosmetic products like hand and body lotions and lip balm. Eye masks and socks are made from recycled materials, earplugs are packaged in paper and the toothbrush is bamboo.

Turkish amenity kit

Nepal now generates a surplus of electricity and it is all from renewable hydropower. Nearly half the country is under forest cover. Despite meeting these decarbonisation goals, Nepal’s hydropower plants are threatened by increased risk due to climate impact.&nbsp; Till <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/when-it-rains-it-pours-ksqprbu3">28 September</a>, Nepal was <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/india-nepal-sign-power-exchange-deal">exporting just over 1,000MW</a> of electricity to power-hungry India, when flash floods and landslides unleashed by historically heavy rains damaged over 30 hydropower plants across the country, temporarily <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/power-to-the-people">slashing nearly half the power generation.</a> The 456MW Upper Tamakosi in Dolakha was the hardest hit and it will take six months and Rs2 billion to repair. This has significantly reduced exports as well as domestic generation. Two months later, Nepal has still not been unable to fully keep its export commitment, and is actually paying Rs100 million in fines to India. Thirty-seven existing and under construction projects under the Independent Power Producers' Association Nepal (IPPAN) suffered Rs2.5 billion in damage. One of them is the 22MW Bagmati project in Makwanpur which was almost completely buried in flood debris. Even before <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/60-dead-64-missing-in-nepal-floods">record-breaking rain in September</a>, 15 other hydropower projects had been damaged by floods. Last year, floods caused by heavy localised rain damaged 28 hydropower plants. World governments met in Baku for COP29 to discuss the Loss &amp; Damage Fund and the Adaptation Fund, but for countries like Nepal the commas and brackets are meaningless until they are turned into $ and €. And likelihood of adequate compensation for climate-related damage is a long way off, if ever. Nepal’s national strategy is to use its vast hydropower resource as clean energy to spur economic growth, job creation, and boost export revenue. But the plants are located in narrow Himalayan valleys prone to landslides and floods even at the best of times. Now, those <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/changing-climate-for-investment-in-nepal">risks have been heightened by weather extremes</a> due to climate breakdown. At present, Nepal generates over 3,300MW of clean hydropower, and the target is to reach 12,700MW in the next five years. Projects equivalent to 6,000MW are under construction or ready to start. The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has an Energy Development Roadmap and Action Plan with the target of producing 28,500MW by 2035 by when more than half of it will be exported.&nbsp; “The climate crisis will further change the rainfall patterns making hydropower generation a big question mark in the future,” Manjeet Dhakal in Baku, who is also the Nepali adviser to the LDC Chair at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). “We are building hydropower projects on rivers without evaluating risk. This whole process needs to be reviewed and reconsidered.” The report of the National Adaptation Plan published by the Ministry of Forest and Environment last year mentions that hydropower production, transmission and distribution will be at risk from flash floods, debris flows, glacial lake outbursts and rising temperatures.&nbsp; This risk is not confined to Nepal. Average global temperatures have increased by 1.3°C compared to the pre-industrial era. Worse, the Himalayan mountains are warming faster than the global average by 0.7°C because of elevation-dependent warming. A study conducted by our own Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in 2017 showed that the average temperature in Nepal has increased in the last four decades. Scientists say this is leading to extreme weather unleashing floods and landslides on slopes already destabilized by seismicity.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241124071128_d22901a360e8958f606d80ffa21defba05a671f65afec65539dc21a6885d8345.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20241124071128_d22901a360e8958f606d80ffa21defba05a671f65afec65539dc21a6885d8345" data-rendition-name="original" width="1333" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Right climate for Nepal’s energy transition NT"> <figcaption>BIBLICAL RAIN: Photo taken during catastrophic rain on 27-28 September at the Upper Tamakosi project site that destroyed the control room, killing four staff and burying the sedimentation tanks. Photo: RSS</figcaption> </figure>  Increased atmospheric temperatures has made the monsoon rains more erratic. It does not rain when it is supposed to, and it comes down in torrents when it is not supposed to. The September floods happened two weeks after the monsoon was supposed to retreat from central Nepal. Kathmandu Valley received half its annual precipitation in just over a day. &nbsp; Winter precipitation has also failed, especially in the high mountains and trans-Himalayan valleys. Thirteen of the past 19 years experienced winter drought. This impacts on dry season flows of the rivers, reducing hydropower generation. Nepal’s power capacity normally goes down by one-fourth during winter, but the gap is widening. The Kabeli corridor could only generate 20MW November-March even though plants there have an installed capacity of 200MW. Similarly, Upper Tamakosi only produced 65MW at most against its 456MW capacity last winter. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) pays producers double the price for winter electricity, Rs8.40 per unit. Even though winter operation is highly profitable the rivers run low and NEA has to import from India to meet the winter demand. “This is not just a weather problem but a serious challenge also for the country's energy future, good climate-friendly design should be combined with policy and effective implementation,” says Subarna Das Shrestha, a hydropower investor and CEO of Sanima Mai Hydropower. “Insurance premiums have gone up as well, and settlement for damage is not timely.” <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/climate-risk-to-hydropower-investment">Hydropower investment</a> at one time was regarded as having a high rate of return. Now, some investors have become <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/climate-smarter-himalayan-infrastructure">wary of the risks involved</a>. Says IPPAN’s Uttam Blon Lama: “Hydropower projects expected to give stable returns are now looking risky. Not only is climate adaptation design and planning expensive, but future repair and maintenance costs will also skyrocket.” Nepal has only one storage type dam <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/rivers-be-dammed">in Kulekhani</a> and another one is being built in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/missing-pieces-of-the-hydropower-jigsaw">Tanahu</a>, but they are also at risk. In September, the sluice gates of Kulekhani Dam had to be opened causing loss of life and destruction downstream. Nepal has to learn lessons from the deadly collapse of the $1 billion <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/sikkim-flood-is-warning-to-nepal">Chungthang Dam in Sikkim</a> in October 2023 cause by a glacial lake burst. Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) in Nepal pose potentially catastrophic risk to infrastructure. The <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lives-on-the-line-in-the-himalaya">Thame flood in August</a> was a relatively minor debris flow that damaged half of this village in the Everest region when <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/climate-breakdown-linked-to-thame-flood">two glacial lakes at 4,760m burst</a>. Luckily there was no loss of life. Of the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lives-on-the-line-in-the-himalaya">47 high-risk glacial lakes</a> in the eastern Nepal Himalaya, 21 are in Nepal and the rest are in rivers in China that are tributaries of the Arun and Bhote Kosi where Nepal has major hydropower plants under construction, or planned.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241123021128_b596cd8520c57a6c5476031e7a3ea6510f26b464c4d5351d2bc10f6f7d6b70d8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20241123021128_b596cd8520c57a6c5476031e7a3ea6510f26b464c4d5351d2bc10f6f7d6b70d8" data-rendition-name="original" width="871" height="648" loading="lazy" alt="Page 10-11 map #1236 NT"> </figure>  Global temperature rise is accelerating the melting of Himalayan snow and ice, increasing the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/living-below-nepal-s-melting-mountains">number and size of glacial lakes</a> so that we do not even have names for them. Imja Tso did not even exist in the old trekking maps until 25 years ago, but is now a 2km long lake. “Natural moraine dams in the mountains are weak, and the projects downstream can face major destruction if they burst, and the risk will only increase in future,” warns climatologist Arun Bhakta Shrestha at the <a href="https://www.icimod.org/">International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)</a>. <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/terrifying-assessment-of-a-himalayan-melting">An ICIMOD assessment in 2019</a> projected that if present heating trends continue, as they probably will, the Himalaya will lose two-thirds of our glaciers by the end of this century. “Generally speaking, hydropower developers hand over the project to the government after 30 years but by that time given the climate risks, they may not be an asset anymore,” says Manjeet Dhakal. Indeed, the cascade of expensive projects India is building on the Arun River are supposed to be handed back to Nepal in 25 years, but there is a big ‘if’ about whether they will survive that long. &nbsp;&nbsp; Planning of hydropower projects is still based on historical hydrological data, and does not take into account future temperature rise and its consequences. Investors, on the other hand, say that planning hydropower projects with climate components would make them even more expensive.&nbsp; “It’s not that we aren’t preparing for climate risk, we design keeping in mind the once-in-100-year flood,” says Blon of IPPAN. “But if we start designing based on once in 1,000 years flood, the cost would be so high that we won’t be able to build them at all.” Nonetheless, Subarna Das Shrestha of Sanima Mai Hydropower says that there is no option but to go for climate smart infrastructure despite the higher cost. Sanima Mai's powerhouse, for example, is completely underground. The strategy could also be to spread the risk by building less expensive plants located on rivers all over the country. Nepal is also diversifying away from its sole reliance on hydroelectricity, which at present supplies 92% of the power in the grid. Most of the rest comes from solar plants, where the total potential has not even been scratched. &nbsp; This article is brought to you by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/" target="_blank">Nepali Times</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://inpsjapan.com/en/" target="_blank">INPS Japan</a> and <a href="https://sgi-peace.org/" target="_blank">Soka Gakkai International</a>, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240630110640_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758.jpg" data-media-id="editor_21" data-image-id="20240630110640_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758" data-rendition-name="original" width="680" height="103" loading="lazy" alt="SDG logo"> </figure>  &nbsp;