General Background of Nepal

          Nepal is a least-developed country lying between two fast growing countries India and China. The main goal of the developing countries like Nepal is to attain high rate of economic growth, reduction of income inequality and poverty and improve the standard of living of people. In order to attain these goals, our country needs to promote tourism. Nepal has high potentiality of tourism development since it possesses the unique culture and nature.

          Tourism has become a major sector to increase the employment opportunities. Tourism creates friendship and expands relationship among the nations throughout the globe. Tourism is a medium though which we can exchange and create understanding among the world (Upadhyay and Agrawal, 2006).

Tourism industry, being a comparative advantage industry of Nepal, has important role in country’s development. Development of tourism sector has contributed to increase employment and income generation. It has improved the balance of payment of the country. It is important not only from the point of view of earning foreign exchange but also scope for various industrial like hotels and restaurants, amusement and other texture activities, gift shops and large number of other enterprise such as fruit production and processing etc. Nepal has limited possibilities of producing and exporting manufactured goods. In this particular context, tourism has great role because of its multifaceted effect on balance of payment situation, diversification of the economy, augmentation of revenues, and generation of employment opportunities directly and indirectly.

Nepal has become a center of attraction and being developed as a destination due to its unique natural beauty. World’s famous snow-peaks are situated in Nepal. Nepal holds with in a comparatively small area of land with uniqueness of tourist attractions which is probably outstanding in the world. In the south of the country, the low land Terai with tropical forest belt. This flat area shelters a wide variety of wild life including some of the rhinoceros, elephants, wild buffaloes, tiger and deer.

The foremost and eminent resources of adventure tourism in Nepal are snowy Himalayans. The Himalayans constitute one of the noble features of the Nepali landscape. Fast following rivers are seen in tangle of coils, pushing and foaming to create breath-taking fantasy. There are also many deep gorges cut by the tectonic snow-fed rivers those rivers that never fail to nature lovers in the three thousands. Gifted by Mother Nature with such spectacular and awe-inspiring scenic spots, Nepal obviously has big tourism potential (Parajuli, 2005).

Tourism is a major sector which promises to bring even greater contribution of Nepal’s economic development. To develop the tourism industry, it is essential to identify and protect attractions and subsequently proceed with controlled and planned development of all sectors. The local residents must be involved in the implementation of tourism development. Much attention has now to be given for environment, conservation and restoration of Nepal’s unique combination of natural, social and cultural resources. It is needed to make the use of tourism planning and development as a tool for the uplift of a wide variety of social cultural and ecological resources, resulting in greater balance and harmony at the regional as well as national economic context.