Pokhara’s tourism stakeholders unite against environmental degradations

The World Tourism Day on Wednesday has been celebrated with the theme “Tourism and Green Investment.” To mark the occasion, tourism stakeholders of Pokhara are planning to launch “Green Pokhara”' campaign and raise awareness against environmental degradation. 

Chairman of Pokhara Tourism Council Pom Narayan Shrestha said they have already made the necessary preparations for the campaign. He added that the Gandaki Province Ministry of Tourism, Industry, Commerce and Supplies has also pledged to extend its support. 

Here is what tourism entrepreneurs and stakeholders have to say about Pokhara’s preparations for the World Tourism Day.

Pom Naryan Shrestha, Chair of Pokhara Tourism Council

While linking tourism to the environment, Pokhara should always be the first priority. It is because Pokhara is one of the richest cities having almost all kinds of natural resources in all over Asia. We should be concerned not only to protect it, but also on how we can link it up with the international market. The tourism industry of Pokhara is facing great economic loss in recent years. Tourist numbers are not encouraging. So we should make efforts to attract more visitors by promoting our destinations and activities on offer. It is also crucial to protect our environment. 

Krishna Prasad Aachary, Vice Chair, Trekking Agent’s Association of Nepal, Gandaki

 To celebrate World Tourism Day, we recently conducted a hiking program in marginalized villages of Pokhara. In the course, we discovered that many of the famous routes favored by foreigners had collapsed. This was due to the lack of maintenance and unmanaged development activities. But There are still opportunities to set new trekking routes and attract visitors. We have already made plans to identify new hiking trails around Pokhara to showcase the city’s natural beauty. 

Kamala Giri, Secretary General, Nepal Association for Travel and Tours Agencies, Gandaki 

To mark the World Tourism Day, we have decided to maintain greenery around Pokhara. Today, we planted almost 200 tree saplings around Pokhara Tourist Bus Park. We hope this initiative from our part will encourage the local government to consider Environment Impact Assessment while implementing construction related activities in Pokhara.

Thaneswor Baral, Handicraft Association, Gandaki 

I sell and export woolen craft. But these days, I feel there is an immense shortage of local wool due to the shortage of Himalayan Goats. Until a few years ago, I used to import only 50 percent wool for craft making purposes. But these days, almost 90 percent of the wool needs to be imported. The impacts of environmental degradation and climate change have hurt businesses like mine.

For the same reason I want to show my solidarity to this greenery campaign on World Tourism Day. 

Naresh Bhattarai , Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal , Pokhara 

Greenery and calm natural resources is one of the most important factors that influence tourism. The length of their stay also depends on what attracts them the most. In my experience as a hotelier, I have found that most guests want a clean and calm environment along with authentic food and culture. For the same reason, Pokhara has been hosting more tourists in comparison to other cities. But these days, haphazard development works have ruined the image of Pokhara. So I wholeheartedly support the “Green Pokhara” campaign.