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NUFFIC Participants Visit Rasuwa to Witness STD Initiatives in Nepal

As an essential part of the training schedule, trainers and participants of the NTB-initiated NUFFIC tailor-made programme on sustainable tourism development visited the newly developed Tamang Heritage Trail, Rasuwa, from Feb. 5 -10, 2007, for a first-hand experience of the sustainable tourism development initiatives in Nepal. During their visit, the group of 19 visited Gatlang, Thambuchet, Tatopani, Syabrubesi, Briddim and Dhunche, observing the rural tourism products along the way and interacting with the respective Sustainable Tourism Development Committees (STDCs), Home-stay Management Committee members in Briddim and the local community. The team also met with DDC, STDS and Langtang National Park officials and discussed about the sustainability of the rural tourism products, their potential and further conservation and development through support of DDC and the National Park. This Rasuwa visit marks the final field visit of the 3-month long modular training course on sustainable tourism development supported and coordinated by NUFFIC/Netherlands. Participants were officials from NTB, select tourism colleges, tourism organizations and NGOs. Dr..Ester ruk-van der Blonk from ICIMOD also took part in the trip as a facilitator. The visit was coordinated by STDU Manager Lila Bahadur Baniya and Village Tourism Adviser of TRPAP-Rasuwa Mr. Ram Chandra Sedai in coordination with DDC and STDS Rasuwa.

Mountain Bike Team Visit Tamang Heritage Trail, Rasuwa

With the objective to introduce mountain bike tour package in the Tamang Heritage Trail of Rasuwa, a team of mountain bike race organizers from the HIMALAYA Expeditions Agency and Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme (TRPAP) made a field visit to the Trail from Feb. 11-15, 2007. The team was led by Mr. Mingma Norbu Sherpa, Tourism Planning Specialist of TRPAP and was accompanied by Mr. Bhim Pandey and Mr. Pramod Shrestha of HIMALAYA Expeditions and Mr. Ram Chandra Sedai, Village Tourism Advisor of Rasuwa. The team found out that the Mountain Bike Tour package could be sold in the Kathmandu, Trisuli, Dhunche, Syarbubensi, Gatlang and Chilime route. The final destination of the tour package could be Tatopani where tourists can have bath on Nepal's one of the largest natural hot water spring.
High-Level Delegation Explores Further Tourism Potential in Lumbini, Palpa
A 9-member team headed by Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) and including other high-ranking officials from the government and other sectors, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Program (TRPAP) paid a 3-day visit to Lumbini, its surrounding areas and Palpa from Feb. 2-4, 2007.During the trip the officials met with official of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) in Bhairahawa and explored the possibility for expansion of Gautam Buddha Airport into Regional International Airport. They also interacted with Lumbini Development Trust (LTD) officials, learned about TRPAP-initiated rural tourism activities in Rupandehi, and visited Madhubani village where they observed community women making handicrafts popular among tourists as souvenir items. The team also visited Ramagram an archaeological site along the Lumbini Circuit Tour before moving on to Palpa. The team then interacted with the DDC -Palpa, Palpa Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other tourism stakeholders on the tourism prospective and plans of district. Participants included Mr. Madhav Prasad Ghimire (Secretary - MoCTCA), Mr. Basu Dev Dahal (Senior Economic Adviser - MoF), Mr. Kosh Prasad Acharya (Director General- Department of Archaeology, MoCTCA), Mr. Lal Shanker Ghimire (Under Secretary -MoF), Mr. N. Morita (Adviser - LDT), Mr. Kamal K.C. (Deputy Director General - CAAN, MoCTCA) and Mr. Shambhu Mall. National Program Manager of UNDP/TRPAP Mr. Rabi Jung Pandey and Director of PR and Publicity of NTB Mr. Aditya Baral were also part of the delegation.

Nepal's Sustainable Tourism Program Wins Best Thesis in Germany

Ms. Angela Bergner, a master's level student from the University of Paderborn (Department Cultural Science and Geography) in Frankfurt, Germany, who interned at TRPAP for a period of three months from October till December, 2005, has won first prize for her thesis on sustainable tourism in Nepal. In her research titled "Tourism as an instrument to alleviate poverty in Nepal: The Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme (TRPAP)" Ms. Bergner wrote about the sustainable tourism practices in Nepal, and tourism as a tool to alleviate poverty and develop the rural parts of the country with reference to TRPAP. The winner will be awarded this March at ITB 2007, one of the biggest tourism fairs held annually in Berlin, Germany. "I'm proud to promote somehow also the TRPAP (at least, in about 30 pages I wrote about your wonderful programme so I expect to be asked about it)," wrote Ms. Bergner, ".my professor: Andreas Kagermeier nominated my thesis for this ITB academic prize..."During her internship and research at TRPAP, Ms. Bergner was stationed at the PMU Office in Bhrikuti Mandap and visited the newly developed rural tourism sites: Village Tour in Rupandehi, Chepang Hills in

Chitwan and Tamang Heritage Trail in Langtang.

Trekking Map of Chitwan Chepang Hills Published

As a part of promoting the new rural tourism destinations in Nepal, TRPAP has published a detailed trekking map of Chitwan highlighting the newly developed Chitwan Chepang Hills, linking it with the Chitwan National Park in Sauraha, the primary tourist destination in the district. Prior to this trekking maps of Langtang and Dolpa were also published with the spotlight on the existing and new tourism products in the region, while the maps of Solukhumbu, Taplejung and Rupandehi are in the process of being completed. The maps have been published in coordination with Himalaya Map House Pvt. Ltd. The GIS Unit of TRPAP has provided the digital information and also supported in the design of the trekking maps. It is expected these new maps will help tourists to trek in the news areas with more ease and will also encourage tourists to venture out to explore these new areas.

NTB Signs MoU with DDCs Taplejung, Dolpa to Continue of SRTD Activities

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with District Development Committees (DDCs) of Dolpa and Taplejung in January, 2007, and February, 2007, respectively, to give continuation to the districts' sustainable rural tourism development activities initiated by Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Program (UNDP/TRPAP) from September , 2001, till December, 2006. The MoUs are valid for the next five years. The MoUs were signed on behalf of NTB by Chief Executive Officer Mr. Tek Bahadur Dangi, while on behalf of the districts the MoUs were signed by the respective Local Development Officers, Mr. Madhav Prasad Gadtaula from DDC-Dolpa, and Mr. Khadga Bahadur Chapagain from DDC-Taplejung.The MoUs were signed as per the program design and prior agreement between the Government of Nepal (GoN), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and NTB, according to which responsibility of sustainable tourism development is to be handed over to STDU/ NTB after the TRPAP tenure. Sustainable tourism development activities will be conducted by NTB in coordination with Sustainable Tourism Development Sections (STDS) at district level, which will have linkage with Sustainable Tourism Development Committees (STDC) at VDC level.