Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) and Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research - North South (NCCR N-S) jointly organised a national conference on newly opened Machhapuchhre Model Trek in the capital on Monday.
Minister of State for Tourism and Civil Aviation Shatrughna Prasad Singh Koiri inaugurated the trekking trail amidst a function in Pokhara last week. The trekking trail covers seven village development committees – Lahachowk, Ghachowk, Machhapuchhre, Rivan, Lwangghalel, Dhital and Sardikhola VDC – in Kaski district.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the national conference, State Minister Koiri thanked the Swiss agency for its support in developing tourism products in Nepal. He also said the government was ready to join hands with private sector for developing tourism infrastructures.

Dr Bishnu Raj Upreti of NCCR N-S, said the state should take initiative in developing new trekking trails. He also called upon government agencies and travel trade associations to identify and promote new trails
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Hollywood heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio was on a secret visit to Nepal after joining hands with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to launch an ambitious global campaign to double the world's tiger population.
The 'Titanic' star reportedly visited the Bardiyan national park in western Nepal, one of the four tiger reserves in the country. The 36-year-old has combined forces with WWF to raise USD 20 million towards the aim of doubling the world tiger population in the wild, which is just 3,200 at present. DiCaprio is traveling to Asia with WWF experts to see the threats tigers face first-hand, said a statement released by the international conservation organisation. Nepal has altogether 121 adult tigers in its four tiger reserves, Parsa, Chitawan, Bardiyan and Shuklaphanta.                                                            More>>>

2008 was a watershed year for Nepal – the rebels became the government, the kingdom became a republic and the king became a civilian. With the end of the Maoist uprising, trekkers are once again pitting might and muscle against some of the most challenging trails on the planet. Trekking in Nepal is one of those travel benchmarks, like seeing the Taj Mahal, or diving the Great Barrier Reef, or the first time you eat fried locusts. By the end of your trek, you may vow never to climb anything higher than the stairs around your home town, but the experience of the Himalaya will stay with you for a lifetime.  More>>>

"Best New Adventure Travel Trips: Asia."
  Nepal

Everest for Everyone

Mount Rainier, training ground for Ed Viesturs and Jim Whittaker, is traditionally Americans’ go-to peak for big-mountain prep. But there’s no better high-altitude test site than the Himalaya. Summit Climb’s inaugural Everest View Glacier School teaches mountaineering basics in the shadow of Everest itself. After trekking into the Khumbu Valley, spending nights at traditional teahouses, and following a portion of the route to Everest Base Camp, novices learn glacier rope techniques, crevasse rescue, ice climbing, and snow camping. The team then launches an assault on 19,800-foot Lobuche East in Everest National Park—with views from the summit of Lhotse, Makalu, Ama Dablam, and Everest. "I can guarantee they’ll be thinking, What would it be like to go up there?" says 20-year mountaineering veteran Dan Mazur. An Adventurer of the Year in 2006 (he sacrificed his own Everest summit bid to help save the life of Australian climber Lincoln Hall), Mazur leads the trip’s team of 30 Sherpa instructors. Climbers return home with the skills and altitude experience to attempt one of the easier 8,000-meter peaks like Cho Oyu the following year. And then, who knows, Everest could be next.                                                                              
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"Nepal brings new policy to promote tourism industry."

The Nepali government has brought new tourism policy to promote tourism industry, The Himalayan Times reported on Friday.

Addressing a press meeting here Thursday, Minister for Tourism and Civial Aviation Hisila Yami said the ministry is planning a curriculum regarding tourism and the development of a separate Tourism University.

"European arrivals are declining due to the global financial crisis as they are investing in short distance tourist destinations," she said, adding that the focus of Nepal will now be on boosting regional tourism.

"The new policy will also promote rural, agro, adventure, health and educational tourism," Yami said. The ministry is planning to include tourism industry in Special Economic Zones.

The government is planning to construct a second international airport in Nijgadh of Bara district in central Nepal to avoid congestion. "Korean company LMW has shown interest in the construction of a second international airport and submitted a proposal that is under consideration," Yami said.                                                  More>>>
 

"21 climbers summit Mt. Qomolangma from Nepali side in one day ."

 A Nepali local guide, Chhuldim Sherpa, made his 13th Mt. Qomolangma climb to stand atop the mountain on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.

According to Wednesday's The Kathmandu Post, as many as 21 climbers scaled the peak the same day.

They are from Britain, Danmark, Chinese Taipei and Nepal. The ones that made the ascent were given a period of 75 days from the start of April to scale the peak from the normal route.

The ascent was the first in a couple of weeks when a series of avalanches have been reported up in the mountains. The last time the climbers reached the top was May 5.

Apart from those climbers, a separate group of five also made it up the peak, said Tashi Janghu Sherpa a Trekking agency handling the expedition.

Darija Bostjancic and her sibling Iris Bostjancic set a new record by becoming the first Croatian women to climb the mountain, said the daily.                                                                                        More>>>

"Nepali mountaineer summits Everest for record 19th time  ."

 A Nepalese climber on Thursday broke his own world record by scaling 8,848-metre Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, for the 19th time, mountaineering officials said.

Appa Sherpa, 48, reached the summit with eight other climbers, the handling agency Asian Trekking said in Kathmandu.

'I am at the top and am looking at all the prayer flags,' Asian Trekking's website quoted Appa as saying when he radioed the base camp. '... I have just satisfied the deities and placed the bhumpa [offering] on the summit.

'I am the last of our group to get to the top today as I was delayed at the Hillary Step because there are so many people here. I arrived here at 8 am [0215 GMT] and have been here for 30 minutes. ... It's very cold, so I am now heading down.'

Appa Sherpa lives in the United States and works as a climbing instructor and lecturer.

He said this year's expedition was to raise awareness about garbage problems on the mountain and bring back trash left behind by mountaineers.

'The expedition has already brought down nearly 6,000 kilograms of junk and garbage from the mountain,' said Ang Tshering, a former president of Nepal's mountaineering association. 'It including parts of a helicopter that crashed on the mountain in 1973.'            More>>>         

"Joanna Lumley to look into Gurkha woes in Nepal  ."

British actress Joanna Lumley, who became the most recognised face in her own country of the British Gurkha soldiers’ fight for an end to
discrimination, will be arriving in Nepal on a six-day visit Sunday for a first-hand assessment of the conditions of war veterans, many of whom are reduced to begging.

The Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen’s Organisation (GAESO), an organisation of former Gurkha soldiers that from the 1990s began suing the British defence ministry demanding equal pay, pension and perks, said tens of hundreds of disabled former soldiers will assemble in Kathmandu and Pokhara in central Nepal as well as Birtamod in eastern Jhapa district to apprise the actress of their tales of woe.

Lumley, whose late father Major James Rutherford Lumley had served with the 6th Gurkha Rifles and been saved by Nepali soldier Tul Bahadur Pun, had been campaigning vociferously in England this year to help Gurkha vets get the right of residence in the UK without discrimination. While soldiers from other Commonwealth countries were eligible to do so after four years of service, for Gurkhas, only those who had retired after 1997 had the right, a bar that was lifted this year after intense public criticism.

The 63-year-old television star will be given a red-carpet welcome at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu when she arrives at 3pm local time. Around 2000 war veterans are expected to greet her on her arrival. She would also be meeting President Ram Baran Yadav and Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. On Monday, GAESO will felicitate her in the City Hall in Kathmandu.

Lumley’s arrival is intended to look into the living conditions of former Gurkha soldiers, many of whom live in abject poverty having been denied pension or compensation by the British government. Hundreds suffer from disabilities from war injuries.

Though Pun, a Victoria Cross recipient, received a pension, he had to mortgage his house to raise money for medical treatment in the UK since the care he needs is not available in his village in Nepal.

The Gurkhas won their first legal battle against the British government in 2002 when the court ordered the government to pay 10,000 pounds each to all the soldiers who were taken prisoners by the Japanese during World War II. However, many PoWs or their next of kin are yet to receive compensation because they did not have the required documentary evidence.                                                  More>>>

"Ex-Gurkha soldier hopes for Lumley tourism boost "
A retired Gurkha soldier is keeping his fingers crossed that Joanna Lumley’s visit to Nepal will help boost tourism in the poverty-stricken country.
Folkestone town councillor Dhan Gurung, who served in the British Army for almost 20 years, said he hoped the star’s much-publicised trip would serve as an effective advert for holidays in his home nation.
The 42-year-old was one of a group of people who joined Lumley on her tour of the mountainous country last month, to mark the Gurkha Justice Campaign’s successful attempts to alter the UK immigration policy for retired Gurkha soldiers.
He said: “The visit has been a huge help in promoting Nepal to people around the world.
“Every day of the trip was covered by the international media and I’m hoping that people will start to holiday there more as a result.
“Eight of the 10 highest mountains in the world are in Nepal and it really is a beautiful country. There is so much for tourists to see and do"                                                                                More>>>

"Adventure spotlight: Trekking in Nepal"

If the exotic temples, ancient architecture, interesting wildlife, and friendly people don’t captivate you, the impressive Himalayas most certainly will. For the landlocked nation of Nepal, these mountains are the big jewel in its tourism crown, and for good reason. This tiny country - nestled between India and China, with pristine Bhutan as a close neighbor - boasts a huge roster of the world’s highest peaks, including the daddy of them all, Mt. Everest, at just over 29,000 feet. These extraordinary giants offer some of the best trekking in the world, provide much of the population’s livelihood, and are the main reason tourists flock here each year.

Three popular options - Everest Base Camp, the Annapurna Circuit, and the Annapurna Sanctuary - offer routes for all levels of hikers. EBC, as the former’s commonly called, is probably the most well-known to Westerners, which is part of the reason we chose not to hike it. The tourist overload, coupled with altitudes topping 17,000 feet, had us seeking a slightly easier journey (if there is such a thing here). We like to breathe.                                                                   More>>>

Nepal has benefited from the remarkable development of neighboring China's Tibet Autonomous Region and especially in the tourism sector, a Nepalese business leader told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"Thousands of tourists go to Tibet every year through Nepal, where easy and convenient transportation link across the border facilitates their travel," said Rajendra Nakarmi, general secretary of Nepal-China Executive Council (NCEC), a private business organization of the south Asian country. Nepal can take the advantageous position to keep the passers-by stay longer in the country, where tourism serves the backbone of its economy, he said.
Meanwhile, many Nepalese people have got jobs in Tibet thanks to the booming tourism industry there, Nakarmi said.                  More>>>

TThe plan of purchasing a new wide-bodied aircraft for the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) is likely to materialize this time, as its management is committed to developing the ailing national flag carrier into a well-equipped commercial airline.

"If things move ahead as planned, we will have a new aircraft by the end of the current fiscal year," Sugat Ratna Kansakar, the newly appointed Executive Chairman of NAC, told The Rising Nepal.

Kansakar said that the NAC would buy the second new aircraft next year. "We are working out a plan to purchase one plane a year for the next five years."

As the government has shown its commitment to staying guarantee for the NAC to purchase new aircraft, Kansakar is quite confident that the airline will be successful in implementing its plan.

"The Employees Provident Fund has assured us of making available Rs. 10 billion for purchasing the aircraft," Kansakar said.

He said that the airline would forward the process of buying the aircraft immediately after the Board of Directors of NAC approves the sub-committee’s recommendation. "We are targeting to forward the process by the end of this month."                                                More>>>

Nepal will hold "Summiteers' Summit" at Copenhagen on Dec. 11, 2009 to raise the awareness of impacts of climate change in the Himalayas, a press conference held in Nepali capital Kathmandu said on Monday.

The 19-time Mt. Qomolangma (also known as Mt. Everest) climber Appa Sherpa said at the press conference that the mountaineers arefully geared to throw their weight behind the government's plan to organize the "Summitteers' Summit" on the sidelines of the Copenhagen climate change meeting.

"It is important that the attention of the world community is drawn toward the plight of the people living in the lap of the Himalayas," myrepublica.com cited Appa as saying."  
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