Historical Aspects of Tourism Development in Nepal (Third Phase: After Declaration of Democracy 1950)

Tourism in Nepal is a recent phenomenon. The country was opened to tourism only after the ended of Rana’s autocratic rule and declared the democracy in 1950. Nepal started to great those persons who wanted to enter Nepal with the purpose of travelling or with any other such purposes.
Establishment of democracy after the fall of Rana in 1950 heralded as area of modern tourism in Nepal and three years late, i.e. 1953, a private company “Himalayan Airways”started the operation of domestic fights. There after a rage of development in the country internal as well as external communication and transportation tasks began to start. Swiss geologist Tony Hagen and Edmund Hillary from Newzeland who was also one of the first to climb the peak of Mt. Everest, were among the most significant tourism promoters of Nepal. It is not only introduced Nepal to the world but, also opened up the new opportunities for mountain tourism in Nepal. During the same period, Nepal got the membership of UNO in 1950, Nepal gradually began to be known to the outside known.
The coordination of the king Mahendra in 1956 may, further added to the international exposure of Nepal, with more than 60 foreign correspondents covering the event. The tourism infrastructure also improved significantly with the construction of Chains of hotels for accommodating dignitaries, guest and journalist to this event. Further boost of   tourism development was an establishment  of the government owned Royal Nepal Airlines corporation in 1958, while the following year the Civil Aviation Act was promulgated to the regulate aviation sector.
In 1962 Development of Tourism was established and has helping in obtaining membership of various international tourism development institutions such as International Union of Official Travel Organization (IUOTO), South Asian Travel Commission (SATC), the Pacific Area Travel Association(PATA), and American Society of Travel Agent (ASTA).
In 1970 Nepal tourism development committee was constituted under the chairmanship or late prince, Himalayan Bir Bikram shah. In 1972, the committee published ‘Nepal Tourism Master Plan’ with technical assistance from the government of Federal Republic of Germany. This plan had been prepared for the further development in the field of tourism. For its development efforts have been made to distributed posters, booklets to international organization and to provide sufficient hotel facilities and transportation facilities tourism. As a result there was 41 fold increases in tourism visiting Nepal, 6179 tourism in 1962 and 2,548,885in 1990, the 1979 decade is also called as trekking and wild life tourism decade. Similarly 1980 is cultural Tourism decade (Pant,2011).