Lonely Planet lauds reconstruction of monuments and reconstruction after 2015 earthquake

KATHMANDU, Oct 24: The website for the travel guide Lonely Planet has named Kathmandu in its top ten list of places to visit in 2019. The site said Kathmandu, which had been hit by devastating earthquakes in 2015, was now ready to welcome foreign tourists after satisfactory progress in restoring monuments that had crumbled in the disaster. The website also hailed the overall reconstruction work. 

“In the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake, news reports from Kathmandu showed a city broken and in mourning, but today the narrative is all about reconstruction and rejuvenation,” the website wrote. 

Lonely Planet has also said that historic sites are being returned to their former glory, and moves to calm the city’s infamous traffic, smog, and noise have made Kathmandu more liveable than it has been in decades. 

The website has also lauded the availability of reliable electricity and internet facility, both incentives for incoming tourists. It said: “There’s even reliable electricity and wi-fi as bonus creature comforts in the atmospheric and maze-like alleyways of the old city.” 

“It remains the doorstep to the Himalayas, with medieval architecture, great food and nightlife and increasing wellness offerings,” Tom Hall, Lonely Planet’s editorial director, told to CNN in reference to Kathmandu. “It’s also much quieter than it has been in the past with cars banned from the historic center and motor horns banned across the Kathmandu Valley,” Hall pointed out. 

Copenhagen in Denmark is ranked the first in the top 10 list.

 
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