Tourism in Pokhara: Issues, Trends and Future Prospects for Peace and Prosperity 1 Tourism in Pokhara Issues, Trends and Future Prospects for Peace and Prosperity Edited by Bishnu Raj Upreti Pranil Kumar Upadhayaya Tikaram Sapkota Published by Pokhara Tourism Council, Pokhara South Asia Regional Coordination Office of NCCR North-South and Nepal Centre for Contemporary Research, Kathmandu Kathmandu 2013 Citation: Upreti BR, Upadhayaya PK, Sapkota T, editors. 2013. Tourism in Pokhara Issues, Trends and Future Prospects for Peace and Prosperity. Kathmandu: Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC), South Asia Regional Coordination Office of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR North- South) and Nepal Center for Contemporary Research (NCCR), Kathmandu. Copyright © 2013 PTC, NCCR North-South and NCCR, Kathmandu, Nepal All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-9937-2-6169-2 Subsidised price: NPR 390/- Cover concept: Pranil Upadhayaya Layout design: Jyoti Khatiwada Printed at: Heidel Press Pvt. Ltd., Dillibazar, Kathmandu Cover photo design: Tourists at the outskirts of Pokhara with Mt. Annapurna and Machhapuchhre on back (top) and Fewa Lake (down) by Ashess Shakya Disclaimer: The content and materials presented in this book are of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC), the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR North-South) and Nepal Centre for Contemporary Research (NCCR). Dedication To the people who contributed to developing Pokhara as a tourism city and paradise The editors of the book Tourism in Pokhara: Issues, Trends and Future Prospects for Peace and Prosperity acknowledge supports of Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC) and the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South, co-funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the participating institutions. Acknowledgement Nepal is a tourist destination with tremendous tourism potentials. Pokhara is one of the ideal potential tourist destinations in Nepal due to some of its specific attributes like unspoiled nature, age-old culture and hospitality attributes of Pokharelis. The centrally located position of Pokhara on the tourism map of Nepal is strategically supportive to position it as an easily accessible and reachable tourist destination in shorter travel duration from the various parts of the country. In nearly last six decades of its opening as a tourist destination for the external world, Pokhara has been gradually able to recognize itself as a favorite tourist destination with some tangible progresses on tourism products, events, amenities, accessibility (air and surface), service standards, products distribution channels and marketing and promotion. The increase of the volume of tourists without compromising the value (quality and sustainability aspects) has remained the ultimate target in the context of the planned tourism development efforts in Pokhara. This tourism-related target in recent times is also associated with prospect of achieving holistic peace and progress through tourism. In context of these dual targets (both quantitative growth with qualitative tourism development), there are a number of thematic issues sensitively interlinked with the tourism industry of Pokhara. Such issues with their specific trends range from proper planning and management of tourism to its economic impacts in people and places of Pokhara, from growth and standardization of tourism events and services to preservation of cultural and natural heritages, from ethical aspects for the responsible tourism operation to the proper management of Fewa Lake, from envisioning the future with increased tourism products and events to proper marketing and promotion of tourism in Pokhara. A careful look and scrutiny of all these interlinked issues of tourism as discussed in this book can have implications on pragmatic policy and actions for a better tourism future in Pokhara. The publication of this book is originally linked with a Partnership Actions for Mitigating Syndromes (PAMS) project titled ‘Meeting the challenges of i Peace-building in Tourism in Pokhara - Strengthening the Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethical Business Operation’. It was executed jointly by Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC) and the South Asia Regional Coordination Office of the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) North-South in the years 2012-13. PAMS was a PhD research associated tourism project in the interrelationship between ‘tourism, conflict and peace in Nepal’ conducted under Kathmandu University. This research had focused for the responsible tourism development in Pokhara at the destination level. This book is the outcome of the collective efforts between tourism practitioners and tourism researchers under the banner of PAMS project. The research and empirical engagements of this publication were conducted within the framework of the Research Project (RP) 6 (Business and Peace) of the third phase under the thematic node 1 (Institutions, Livelihoods, Conflicts with Swiss Peace Foundation as its institutional partners) of NCCR North-South: Research Partnerships for Mitigating Syndromes of Global Change, co-funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. We anticipate that this book written on the various thematic issues of tourism in Pokhara with conceptual, theoretical and empirical observations and some pertinent case studies will serve in promoting tourism in Pokhara and in strengthening the image of paradise Pokhara. Though list of issues offered in this book is not complete in itself, which are needed and related with overall tourism sector in Pokhara, we hope that the book with a total of 13 chapters on 13 different thematic issues is the first of its kind in the tourism sector of Pokhara. It is hoped that it will fulfill the knowledge gap and also help build new knowledge on all those important issues covered in this book. Our sincere gratitude goes to all who helped us during the course of preparing this volume. We are especially indebted to the following people and organizations for their respective supports. y Steering committee members of PAMS project namely Surya Bahadur Bhujel, Tikaram Sapkota, Bachhu Ram Tiwari, Basanta Raj Dawadi, Chirajibi Pokharel and Ramu Gautam (Treasurer of PTC) and Santhosh Pokharel (Secretary of PTC) at PTC for their praiseworthy coordination and untiring support in the process of collection of various relevant information and publication of this book. Out thanks go to all executive members of PTC for the support and encouragement in the process of the production of ii this book. Furthermore, our thanks go to Saligram Bhandari (ex. Office secretary), Shanti Kunwar (Office secretary) and Ramit Devkota (Office boy) at PTC for their administrative, logistic and accounts-related support in course of the operation of PAMS project. y The foremost acknowledgment is there to the tireless efforts of all the chapter contributors (authors) who agreed to write on the respective 13 different issues of tourism in Pokhara. y Dr. Thomas Breu at NCCR North-South and Professor Dr. Laurent Goetchel and Dr. Andrea Iff at swisspeace foundation for their regular encouragement in work package 1 ‘conflict and economy’ and in the research project 6 ‘ Role of Private Sector in Peace Promotion’ with which this book’s publication in connected through PAMS project. y Dr. Sagar Raj Sharma, Associate Professor at Kathmandu University for all of his constructive inputs, encouragement and supports in the writing and publishing of this book under the PAMS project. y Suman Babu Paudel, Research Associate at NCCR, for his enthusiastic assistance in finalizing the publication and Siddhi Manandhar, Regional Support Office, South Asia Office of NCCR North-South, for his logistic helps and coordination in publication process. y District Tourism Development Committee (DTDC) of Kaski district and District Police Office Kaski for unanimously endorsing PAMS project at its beginning phase and helping to execute PAMS project which was the base (platform) for the idea and publication of this book. y Hem Raj Kafle, Assistant Professor at Kathmandu University, for the language editing supports. y Ashess Shakya at Photo Zenith, Pokhara, for offering various historical photos of Pokhara. y Our cordial respondents who are the board members of tourism- related all associations in Pokhara. And known/unknown informants from tourism trade sector of Pokhara and community- based village tourism sector in surrounding peri-urban areas of iii Pokhara, who formed valuable foundation for the database of our research for this book. Finally, we look forward to receiving comments and suggestions from readers of this volume. The comments and suggestions would be valuable for future excellence in such work in spiraling the brand of Pokhara as a true tourism paradise. The Editors Surya Bahadur Bhujel Dr Bishnu Raj Upreti President Dr Pranil Kumar Upadhayaya Pokhara Tourism Council Tikaram Sapkota April 2013 iv List of contents Acknowledgement ..................................................................................... i Acronyms and Abbreviations ....................................................................xi Chapter 1 Tourism in Pokhara: Nepal’s pride and means for peace and prosperity............................................................ 1 Chapter 2 Historical review of natural