Let us start with the few lines said by Andrew Jones the PATA Vice President during an interview with National Daily Republica.
When we read stories about Nepal earthquake in different media, we felt that Nepal is totally devastated. But when I visited here, it was not the case. There are some places which are badly affected, some partially affected and some are totally intact. But people outside Nepal have a perception that the country is totally devastated. The first thing that we must do is change this perception. Most of the places, which are intact, have been affected because tourists are not coming and no economic activity is taking place there. We need to tell people that they can visit many places like Pokhara, for example, and enjoy like they did it before.
The earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25 2015 has made an impact adversely. However, the threat has gone and Nepal still stands tall with so many wonderful places worthwhile exploring.
The big question that still arises in the heads of global travelers is that “Is Nepal a safe destination to travel this coming autumn?”
We would say a confident “YES”. Not because we are tour operators it is because we have strong logic to support our claim and hence we say “YES”- Nepal is once again a safe destination to travel.
We are simply trying to justify why Nepal is a safe destination. Rest about the prediction of next big Earthquake that might hit Nepal is just a negligible possibility. To be honest nobody can predict the quake and if somebody could do so, why the quake kills hundreds of people every time it hits the seismic prone zone. Yes, we admit Nepal is a seismic prone zone and for that, we are rewarded with the most beautiful and the lofty mountains. It is not ego we Nepalese manifest; it is the pride we demonstrate with the degree of natural beauty and kind of cultural legacy we hold.
A foreign citizen assigned to inspect the impact of the quake in the affected village of Nuwakot was offered a cup of tea from a woman who lost her everything during the quake. This is the quality of every Nepali always ready to welcome the guests in their houses with whatever resources they have despite the worst situation they are going through.
We are not encouraging travelers to travel to Nepal without assuring safety. We want travelers in Nepal because we know we can offer them the level of safety they are expecting. We want them to be the part of Nepal’s rebuilding process. We Nepalese are known for bravery and kindness and at the tragic moment like this we want show the entire world how resilient we are. We are doing every possible thing to assure valued travelers that Nepal is a safe destination to travel. We have already formed Tourism Recovery Plan with the Disaster Management and Recovery Experts like Andrew Jones and Bert Van Walbeek. Plans to recover form this disaster is already underway and the good news is that we have started believing in ourselves that we can bounce back better.
We are not pleading travelers to come to Nepal instead we are offering them to witness the disaster that have hit Nepal.
Traveling to Nepal now is an opportunity to see what Nepal have lost and how the Nepalese will rebound. Traveling to Nepal now is a chance to volunteer and help the Nepalese who need help in every aspect of lives. It is also an opportunity to explore the best of Himalayan nation with relatively lesser flow of tourists.
Here we have listed few reasons why travelers can still have safe and lifetime trip in Nepal
Getting into Nepal
Getting into Nepal via air is absolutely safe. The only international airport of Nepal, Tribhuvan International Airport faced no damages at all during the quake and scores of aftershocks that followed the major tremor of April 25. The international and domestic flights have been conducted as flawlessly as they used to before April 25.
Entering Nepal via land is also safe except the Kodari Border. Kodari a small town that lies at Nepal-Tibet border has been closed. However, all the towns at Indo-Nepal border are safe and ready to welcome travelers as usual.
Transportation
All the roads that link major tourist towns of Nepal are safe and intact. Moreover, the domestic airports of the country are also intact to allow safe takeoff and landing.
Trekking Regions
Nepal has ten trekking regions, which are popular amongst the trekkers. Except Langtang and Mansalu Regions rest of trekking regions and hundreds of trekking trails in these regions are still intact. The globally popular trekking regions like Annapurna and Everest along with Rara, Dolpo, Dhaulagiri, Mustang, Makalu and Kanchenjunga are safe trekking regions in Nepal after the quake.
Wildlife Parks
The quake has not affected at all to the destinations where travelers had luxury to enjoy the best of Asia’s wildlife. The wildlife parks like Chitwan National Park, Bardia National Park and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve had no impact at all during the quake.
Pokhara & Lumbini
The hub of flying adventure and the bride of nature itself Pokhara has no adverse impact during the quake 25/04. Everything in Pokhara is more than normal. The birthplace of Buddha not at all suffered during the quake.
Hotels
Most of the star hotels in Kathmandu and other parts of the country have been assessed and declared safe by the team of geologists and Engineers. The teahouses in the trekking trails of safe trekking regions are also safe to accommodate the trekkers.
Communication
The mobile networks of the country and the internet facilities are fine and travelers won’t have any problem in contacting their families and friends back home.
