POKHARA, March 20: On March 17 last year, the government declared Pokhara as the country's tourist capital. When then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal made this announcement, not only the city of Pokhara but also the entire Gandaki Province's tourism sector was filled with great enthusiasm.
At a grand event held at the Barahi Ghat on the banks of Fewa Lake, then PM Dahal declared, "I announce Pokhara as Nepal’s tourism capital, a unique confluence of natural, cultural, and adventurous areas." Business owners at that time expressed that their long-standing dream of having Pokhara declared as the tourism capital had come true.
One of the reasons for the excitement among business owners was the belief that, with the declaration of Pokhara as the tourism capital, the city would receive more importance in the national budget, and more investment opportunities would arise. They also predicted that, within five years, at least one trillion rupees would be invested in the tourism sector.
With the declaration of Pokhara as the tourism capital, business owners expected that the city would witness development, incomplete infrastructure would be completed, and ample investment would flow in. They were hopeful that Pokhara’s tourism sector would operate 24/7, the government would prioritize the construction of infrastructure in the city, and the length of stay and spending capacity of tourists would increase.
However, after one year of Pokhara being named the tourism capital, there are complaints from the tourism sector that the city has not seen the expected plans or significance. Business owners have stated that no positive developments have been observed since the declaration. Laxman Subedi, the president of the Hotel Association Pokhara, said, "It’s been a year since Pokhara was declared the tourism capital, but we haven’t seen any tangible achievements for the tourism sector."
He added that the progress made based on projects funded by donor agencies cannot be linked to the concept of a tourist capital.
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"After declaring the tourism capital, efforts should have been made to bring in tourists. The one who gave birth to the child should take responsibility for raising it. The Gandaki Province government and Pokhara Metropolitan City, who gave birth to the tourism capital, should be the ones to nurture it," said President Subedi. "But the child has not been raised and has been abandoned. Pokhara, the tourism capital, has become like a child without parents."
He mentions that the provincial government should have allocated a budget to promote tourism campaigns but has not done so. "The provincial government and Pokhara Metropolitan City neither allocated a budget nor launched any programs. The announcement was made, and that’s it," said Subedi. "Aside from a few minor programs, nothing significant has happened. The promotional programs that business owners have been conducting are not because Pokhara is the tourism capital; they are ongoing programs the tourism sector has been running."
Subedi emphasized that tourists coming to the tourism capital should have access to better services, and the length of their stay should have increased. Instead, he claims the situation has worsened. "A foreign tourist visiting the tourism capital doesn't even know where to get information about places to visit in Pokhara. No one provides information at the airport," he said. "At the very least, taxi drivers could be trained to provide tourist information. If even that couldn’t be done, then it questions the meaning of being a tourism capital."
He also pointed out that the spending capacity of tourists has not increased. "We’ve lowered the prices we used to charge. For some reason, we’ve been giving discounts. If tourism was being promoted and sufficient tourists were coming, we could charge full price, but right now, we’re doing business at half the price," he said. "The pace of development has not improved either. The condition of the road from Pokhara International Airport to Lakeside is frustrating."
In his view, the work done in Pokhara so far has not been due to it being the tourism capital. "Lakeside was supposed to be open 24/7, and the service was already being provided by the hotels. But it’s just an illusion," he said. "The 43-point code of conduct for 24/7 operations has not been implemented, and no one is ready to open the infrastructure. There is no possibility of opening 24/7 with the 43-point conditions. Increasing the financial burden on employees to keep businesses open 24/7 is not feasible."
Hotel Association Gandaki President Hari Sharma also mentioned that the state's unclear policies have added to the problems. "Pokhara has suffered due to the state's unclear policies. The clear proof of this is that despite Pokhara being declared a tourist capital, it never received any formal recognition," Sharma said. "It was heard that even the Cabinet's decision was not made on the program announced by the country's PM, which is a result of unclear policies."
According to Sharma, now the only hope lies with the private sector. "If the private sector can do something, they might; otherwise, the government agencies are in no position to do anything. The private sector has been providing services, but due to economic and social imbalances, and labor instability, the quality is at risk, yet it's been operating somehow," Sharma said. "Until the private sector unites, it won’t work; relying on the government alone won't help." He added that this situation has arisen because those who are responsible have not fulfilled their duties.
"There was no truth in the work done earlier. If the Prime Minister's declaration is deemed illegal, then there’s no point in expecting anything more. It's all in haste," Sharma said. "It’s confirmed that the declaration of Pokhara as the tourist capital was made in haste."
Former President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Anandraj Mulmi also stated that the statements made by those in responsible positions were only for consumption. "It was just a showy statement; the words of a responsible person were only limited to consumption. The Prime Minister himself did not become responsible," he said. "That’s why the public has stopped believing in cheap popularity. If the things the Prime Minister says aren’t going to be fulfilled, then why even say them?"
Mulmi said that the situation has arisen because there is no plan to develop Pokhara. "The declaration of Pokhara as the tourist capital was made in a rush. There is no plan for the infrastructure that should be in a tourism capital. The three levels of government don’t have any plans. After the declaration, they just assumed everyone would believe it," he said. "There hasn't even been the beginning of a plan for how Pokhara should be developed as a tourist city. Let’s not talk about consumption. This has pushed Pokhara back."
He mentioned that Pokhara does not have the necessary methods or people to promote it as an important tourist destination. He also said that without any special products to promote, the declaration of the capital holds no meaning.
"We haven't been able to develop any product. We haven’t been able to beautify the existing ones either. We’ve worked for cheap popularity," Mulmi said. "By calling Pokhara the capital of every sector, we've weakened the dignity and importance of the capital. We've institutionally devalued it. When everything is linked to tourism, tourism itself gets devalued."
If Pokhara had truly become the tourist capital, he believes it should not have had to discuss budgets for tourists. "Now, we should think about tourists who can afford to spend. We need to think about tourists who can afford helicopter tours. But there has been no change in the thinking. Just an increase in tourists isn’t an achievement; the real benefit comes when tourists spend money and gain knowledge," he said. Mulmi added that, in reality, the federal government has not declared Pokhara as the tourist capital from the heart.
"If Pokhara had truly become the tourist capital, there would have been some plans. At the very least, a convention hall would have been built," he said. "But the government has done nothing." He concluded by stating that the lack of any plans to justify the declaration made by the Prime Minister through the municipality and provincial government is unfortunate.
