Karnali Province Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment Surkhet, Nepal Karnali Province Tourism Master Plan 2076/77 - 2085/86 BS (2020/21-2029/30) January 2020 i Karnali Province Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment (MoITFE) Surkhet, Nepal, 2020 KARNALI PROVINCE TOURISM MASTER PLAN 2076/77 - 2085/086 BS (2020/21-2029/30) Technical Assistance WWF Nepal, Kathmandu Office, Nepal Consulting Services Mountain Heritage, Kathmandu, Nepal Advisors Hon. Nanda Singh Budha : Minister; Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment/Karnali Province Dr. Krishna Prasad Acharya : Secretary; Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment/Karnali Province Mr. Dhirendra Pradhan : Ex- Secretary; Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment/Karnali Province Dr. Ghana Shyam Gurung : Country Representative, WWF Nepal Mr. Santosh Mani Nepal : Senior Director, WWF Nepal Focal Persons Ms. Anju Chaudhary : MoITFE/Karnali Province Mr. Eak Raj Sigdel : WWF Nepal Planning Expert Team Members Ms. Lisa Choegyel : Senior Tourism Marketing Advisor Mr. Ram Chandra Sedai : Team Leader/Tourism Expert Dr. Roshan Sherchan : Biodiversity Expert Mr. Jailab K. Rai : Socio-Economist and Gender Specialist Er. Krishna Gautam : Environmental Engineer Mr. Harihar Neupane : Institutional and Governance Expert Mr. Yuba Raj Lama : Culture Expert Cover Photo Credit Ram C.Sedai (All, except mentioned as other's), Bharat Bandhu Thapa (Halji Gomba & Ribo Bumpa Gomba), Chhewang N. Lama (Saipal Base Camp), Dr. Deependra Rokaya (Kailash View Dwar), www.welcometorukum.org (Kham Magar), Google Search (Snow Leopard, Musk Deer, Patal Waterfall, Red Panda). ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Consultant Team would like to acknowledge following institutions and individuals for their meaningful contribution towards the formulation of Karnali Province Tourism Development Master Plan. Hon. Chief Minister of Karnali Province; Chief Secretary, and the Office of the Chief Minister of Karnali Province. Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA), Singh Durbar, Kathmandu. Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment, (MoITFE), Karnali Province, Surkhet. Hon. Nanda Singh Budha, Minister for MoITFE, Karnali Province. Hon. Punya Prasad Regmi (PhD): Vice Chairperson; Karnali Province Planning Commission. Hon. Deependra Rokaya (PhD): Member; Karnali Province Planning Commission. Dr. Krishna Prasad Acharya: Secretary; MoITFE, Karnali Province. Mr. Dhirendra Kumar Pradhan: Ex- Secretary, MoITFE, Karnali Province. WWF Nepal: Dr. Ghana Shyam Gurung: Country Representative, and All Relevant Expert Members. Nepal Tourism Board: Mr. Deepak Raj Joshi: CEO, and All relevant Directors, Managers and Officers. All Members of VNY 2020- Karnali Province Coordination Committee. All District Coordination Committees (DCCs) of Karnali Province. All Municipalities of Karnali Province. All Rural Municipalities of Karnali Province. Mr. Lal Bahadur Bhandari: Chief Warden, Rara National Park. Mr. Padam Bahadur Shahi: President; FNCCI, Karnali Province. All District Chapters of FNCCI in Karnali Province. Journalist Association of Karnali and All Journalists consulted during the planning process. All communities and leaders of the respective tourism destination consulted during the planning process. All Individuals and Experts consulted during the plan formulation process. USAID Paani Office (Kathmandu and Nepalgunj). Mr. Mim Hamal, European Union in Nepal, Kathmandu. Mr. Sumit Baral, World Bank, Kathmandu. All Tourism Entrepreneurs consulted during the planning process. Karnali Tourism Entrepreneurs Society (KTES) and its members. Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), Kathmandu. Nepal Association of Rafting Agencies (NARA), Kathmandu Nepal Association of Tours and Travel Agencies (NATTA), Kathmandu. Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Kathmandu. Village Tourism Promotion Forum Nepal (VITOF), Kathmandu. Homestay Association of Nepal (HOSAN), Kathmandu. Himalayan Map House, Basantapur (for mapping). iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Plan Period 2020/21-2029/30 (2076/77 - 2085/86 BS) With Ten Years Vision and 5 Years Action Plan a) 2020/21-2024/25 Short and Medium Term b) 2025/26- 2029/30 Long -Term Vision Karnali Province established as a must experience pristine destination and a vibrant international gateway, and while moving towards the path to prosperity. Goal To contribute to the sustainable socio-economic development of Karnali, whilst preserving its outstanding natural and cultural heritages. Objectives Objective-1: Develop unique and competitive products that can offer world-class visitor experience. Objective -2: Establish the image of Karnali as a must experience pristine destination and a vibrant international gateway. Objective-3: Develop environmental and cultural heritage friendly tourism infrastructures. Objective-4: Develop tourism as an engine for the inclusive socio-economic development of Karnali. Objective-5: Develop tourism as a tool for protecting the outstanding cultural and natural heritages including rich biodiversity. Objective -6: Develop and strengthen the policies, institutional framework, and human resources for tourism development in Karnali. Targets Indicators 2019 By 2024/25 By 2029/30 # of Visitor Arrival- Domestic (12.6% 454,867 826,079 1,500,000 Average Annual Growth Rate) # of Visitor Arrival- Indian (27.6% AAG Rate) 17,500 59,149 200,000 # of Visitor Arrival- International (39.5% AAG 7,200 38,000 200,000 Rate) Host-Guest ratio at provincial level 3:1 2:1 1:1 Visitor length of stay (day)- Domestic 4 days 7 days 10 days Visitor length of stay (day)- Indian 4 days 6 days 9 days Visitor length of stay (day)- International 19 days 20 days 21 days Per day expenditure (US $)-Domestic 20 US$ 30 US$ 40 US$ Per day expenditure (US $)-Indian 70 US$ 75 US$ 100 US$ Per day expenditure (US $)-International 100 US$ 120 US$ 150 US$ Trained human resource in tourism - 15,000 30,000 Additional Hotel/Resorts - 75/750/1500 150/1500/3000 (Number/Room/Bed) # of Airport (International/Regional/Local) 0/1/7 0/1/8 1/1/10 Additional employment in tourism sector 7,000 50,000 150,000 (estimated) Number of women employed in tourism 30% of total 40% of total sector iv Tourism's contribution to Province GDP (%) <1% 5% 10% Karnali Province Tourism Coordination 0 1 1 Council Inter-Ministerial Tourism Coordination 0 1 1 Committee Karnali Province Tourism Board (KPTB) 0 1 1 Corridor Based Tourism and Culture Offices 0 2 4 Visitor Information and Service Centers 0 10 20 Tourist Police Office/Units 0 5 10 # of District/Municipality/Rural Municipality 0/0/0 10/10/30 10/15/50 Tourism Plan Transboundary Tourism Coordination 0 1 1 Committee (with TAR China) Natural & Cultural Heritage Conservation # of Protected Areas/Community Conserved 2 3 4 Area/ Indigenous Peoples & Community Conserved Areas # of Provincial Cultural Heritage Site 0 3 3 # of River Sanctuary 0 1 1 # of Provincial Geo Parks 0 2 2 Selected Zones Districts Epicenter Tourism #1: Dolpa Tourism Zone Dolpa Dunai Zones #2: Middle Bheri Tourism Zone Rukum-W, Jajarkot, Salyan Chourjhari #3: Middle Karnali Tourism Zone Surkhet, Dailekh Birendranagar #4: Rara –Jumla-Sinja- Kalikot Tourism Kalikot, Jumla, Mugu Jumla-Khalanga Zone #5: Humla-Limi- Hilsa Tourism Zone Humla Simkot Selected Tourism #1: Trekking, Mountaineering and Adventure based Tourism Product. Products #2: Wildlife, Nature and Wilderness based Tourism Product. (Types) #3: Water/River based Tourism Product. #4: Pilgrimage, Spirituality and Wellness related Tourism Product. #5: Culture, Arts, History and Archaeology based Tourism Product. #6: Meeting, Incentives, Conference and Events (MICE) and Business related Tourism Product. #7: Leisure, Special Interest and Sports related Tourism Product. Proposed Pristine Karnali: The Source of Civilization Promotional Brand and Mesmerizing Landscape, Unique Geographical /Geological Settings, Virgin Peaks Branding Karnali River- The Longest, Wild & Free Flowing River of Nepal Traversing from Mt. Kailash to the Pillars Ganges Rara Lake & Phoksundo Lake: Nepal's Largest and Deepest Lakes (both Inscribed in Ramsar Site v Rich Biodiversity: Prime habitat of flagship mammals such as Snow Leopard (Nepal's highest density), Wild Yak, Wild Ass, Red Panda, Musk Deer, Himalayan Tahr etc. Endemic Fish Species (Nepalese Snow Trout, Rara Lake), Golden Mahseer (Karnali River) Macca for Khasha Pilgrimage: 4 Sacred Naths, 12 Mustos, 9 Malikas, Several Devals Sacred Buddhist and Bon Pilgrimage Sites with Strong Bond with Kailash Manasarovara Kakre Vihara and Pancha Koshi Religious Dham: 11th to 14th Century Pilgrimage Sites Buddhist Pilgrimage Circuit- Connecting Lumbini and Kailash through Ancient Silk Route via Kakre Vihara Sinja and Dullu: Origin of Khasha Dialect/Language and Civilization Cultural Capital/Diversiity: Strong blend of Age-old Himalayan Buddhism, Bon, Musto & Shamanism Unique Architecture (Kakre Vihara, Devals, Wooden Bridges etc.), Costume & Organic Food Ancient Gombas: Halji Gomba: Possibly the Oldest Monastery of Nepalese Himalayas Plan - In close coordination and consultation with the Federal Government of Nepal, Karnali Implementati Province/ MoITFE will lead the implementation of KTMP. on Arrangement - A Five Year KTMP Implementation Project may be formulated by MoITFE by securing funding from development partners/donor agencies. - DCCs, Municipalities and Rural Municipalities will be strengthened and facilitated to implement actions and activities in their