Tourism Feasibility Study and a Site Plan Development of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality
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Tourism Feasibility Study and a Site Plan Development of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality A research on Community Based Tourism Development Potential in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, Nepal Bhaktapur, 2011 Tourism Feasibility Study and a Site Plan Development Tourism Feasibility Study and a Site Plan Development of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality A research on Community Based Tourism Development Potential in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, Nepal Internship report: Name student: Elīna Ruska MSc: Leisure, Tourism and Environment Cultural Geography Group Wageningen University and Research Centre, The Netherlands Internship Organisation: Bhaktapur Tourism Development Committee (BTDC) Internship Supervisors: Basudev Lamichhane (BTDC) Michael Marchman (Wageningen University and Research Centre) Bhaktapur, 2011 2 Tourism Feasibility Study and a Site Plan Development Acknowledgements The exoticism is the term which would explain this research writing process the best! New country, different culture, high curiosity and many inquiries are the qualities of this study… As more time was spend in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality area, as more questions arose! Luckily, I was fortuned to meet many locals on a way… Thank you all! Their stories and attitudes have been used for testing my personal observations and implementing them in the outcomes of this research. Therefore I would specifically like to express thanks to Mr. Tako Tulsi Bhakta or the Community Development Section Chief of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality. Memories of our rainy field research could always cheer me up when doing another study in a field… The local voice were highly appreciated and valued during the research; therefore superior gratitude goes to Mr. Asta Krishna Prajapati, Mr. Prajjwal Chapagain and Mr. Laxmi Kumar Prajapati as well as other community members listed in Appendix. Your support and enthusiasm of the project assisted me when deeper understanding of the community processes was needed! Finally, my work on this project would not be possible without Mr. Basudev Lamichhane who provided me with a possibility to do my internship at Bhaktapur Tourism Development Committee. And additional cheers go to my friend Rudy van Bruggen. Without your presence here, the distance would seem further and the work much harder… Thank you all! Sincerely yours Elīna Ruska 3 Tourism Feasibility Study and a Site Plan Development Table of Contents Abbreviation ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Nepali Words Used .................................................................................................................................. 6 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 7 1.1. Background Information ......................................................................................................... 8 1.2. Problem Statement and Relevance ....................................................................................... 11 1.3. Research Objective and Research Questions ........................................................................ 12 1.4. Understanding Community Based Tourism and Community Capacity from Theoretical Perspective ........................................................................................................................................ 12 1.5. Report Structure .................................................................................................................... 14 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 14 2. Methods ........................................................................................................................................ 16 3. Destination Overview .................................................................................................................... 18 3.1. Attractions ............................................................................................................................. 18 3.2. Facilities ................................................................................................................................. 22 3.3. Infrastructure ........................................................................................................................ 23 3.4. Transportation and Accessibility ........................................................................................... 25 3.5. Governance ........................................................................................................................... 26 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 27 4. Market Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 28 4.1. Marketing Activities in Local, Regional and National Level .................................................. 28 4.2. Existing Tourism Demand ...................................................................................................... 29 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 30 5. Feasible Community Based Tourism Products ...................................................................... 31 5.1. Community Based Website ................................................................................................... 32 5.2. Craft Making Practice with Active Participation ................................................................... 34 5.3. Homestay Database and Criteria .......................................................................................... 35 5.4. Cooperative for Farming Production..................................................................................... 37 5.5. Nepali Classes in a Natural Environment .............................................................................. 39 5.6. Pottery Workshop and Tour .................................................................................................. 40 5.7. Voluntary Tourism ................................................................................................................. 42 5.8. Additional CBT Projects ......................................................................................................... 44 5.9. Community Based Tourism Framework in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality ......................... 45 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 49 6. Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 50 Literature list ..................................................................................................................................... 53 4 Tourism Feasibility Study and a Site Plan Development List of Figures Figure 1.1 A map of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality Figure 1.2 The pottery making process in Purano Thimi Figure 1.3 Madhyapur Thimi Municipality in Butler’s Destination Lifecycle Model Figure 1.4 Key tourism development importance areas of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality Figure 3.1 Religious tourism attractions of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality Figure 3.2 Ward Boundary Map Figure 3.3 The system of governance Figure 5.1 Stakeholder model for potential CBT projects List of Tables Table 3.1 A list of Temples in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality Table 5.1 Evaluation of combinations between CBT projects 5 Tourism Feasibility Study and a Site Plan Development Abbreviation BTDC – Bhaktapur Tourism Development Committee CBT – Community based tourism MTM – Madhyapur Thimi Municipality NTB – National Tourism Board MoTCA - Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation STN – Sustainable Tourism Network NGO - Nongovernmental organisation Nepali Words Used Alu Paratha a whole -wheat Indian flatbread served with a spicy potatoes and garbanzos sauce; Bara lentil patties ; Chow mein specially prepared noodle ; Churra beaten rice ; Dal bath traditional rice dish with pickle, lentils sauce and vegetables; Mo:Mo steamed dumplings; Newar an ethnical group in Nepal; Pati a place where to rest; Purano from Nepali language “Old”; Tika is a mark worn on the forehead and other parts of the body. 6 Tourism Feasibility Study and a Site Plan Development 1. Introduction Tourism field is one of the highest growth sectors of the world. Also in terms of Nepal, tourism often is described as the largest industry which brings the biggest amount of foreign exchange and revenue. Trekking possibilities and mountainous landscapes are the features that attract bulks of visitors in Nepal. Many visitors believe that trekking in Nepal is a life time experience! However, the country due to its culture diversity, natural beauty and deep traditional lifestyle attracts more than half a million visitors (602,867 on 2010 (NTB, 2010)) annually. Although the mainstream visitors are mainly orientated on visiting such a must see places as: Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, Bhaktapur and Lumbini; the diversity of tourism markets is increasing and through attraction of more individual travellers, also the demand for smaller scale “off of the beaten