Book on 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic relations between Australia and Nepal


Celebrating 50 Years of Australian Mountaineering Feats and Friendships in Nepal, a book marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Nepal was launched on June 25, 2010 amidst a function.


Mr. Ranjan Krishna Aryal, Acting Secretary of Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and Senior Director of the Nepal Tourism Board Mr. Subash Nirola officially launched the commemorative publication at the Australian Embassy in Bansbari, Kathmandu. Addressing the function, Mr. Nirola said that the book would help people to understand Nepal’s beauty and Australians’ achievement on mountains and their cooperation on different Nepali development projects.


“This book required a lot of work within a short span of time, but in the process I met incredibly inspiring people. The time factor was a big drawback but still this book has inspired me to write more on the mountains and its friendly people,” shared Ms. Fisher.


“Nepal is a country where people don’t remain strangers for long. Honesty and openness of the Nepalis and their lingering smile made my work even easier. Nepal is definitely an extraordinary country always expecting to meet the unexpected,” she shared of her experience of the country.


Expressing her gratitude to all supporters, Her Excellency Australian Ambassador to Nepal Ms. Susan Grace said: “This book honors a special group of Australians who have made their mark through mountaineering achievements, as well as the special friendships forged with the people of Nepal through philanthropic works. The spirit of ‘giving something back’ is embodied in the Australian Himalayan Foundation, a number of whose members are featured in the book. I believe this collection of stories of notable Australian mountaineers is a fitting way to celebrate 50 years of friendship between Australia and Nepal.”


Mr. Simon Balderstone, Executive Director of Australian Himalayan Foundation and mountaineer Mr. Robin Boustead, were the chief guests of the afternoon. Author of the Great Himalayan Trails, Mr. Boustead shared his experiences saying, “Everyone in this book is a big inspiration. For me it’s a dream come true spending time in the Himalayas. You will fall in love with the mountains and the Sherpas are great companions. This book is a gift from these people to another country. Back home in Australia, Nepal is always in my thoughts.”


The book tells the stories of nine notable Australians whose achievements on the mountains are matched by their achievements as friends of Nepal - both on an individual level and through their philanthropic works.


It opens with a candid interview with Late Mr. Alfred “Greg” Gregory, mountaineer and official photographer on the 1953 Everest expedition, recorded just two weeks prior to his death in February this year.


Mr. Andrew Lock’s steady determination to set records on 8,000m-plus peaks, while committing himself to the role of private philanthropic organisation the Australian Himalayan Foundation’s (AHF) first ambassador has earned him great respect the world over.


A woman’s innate determination and sense of intuition in the face of uncertainty, threat and often prejudice are embodied in Ms. Brigitte Muir’s story. Her freeness of spirit and independent philanthropic work with communities in rural Nepal are testament to her strength of character.


The life of the “faceless porter” has improved dramatically over the past couple of decades, due largely to Dr. Jim Duff’s great efforts in the establishment of the International Porter Protection Group with his equally-devoted partner Rejane.


Defying death in Everest’s icy clutches, Mr. Lincoln Hall’s story is nothing short of a miracle. His positive attitude and selflessness not only prevented him from becoming another statistic, yet another tragedy on the mountain, but have also driven him to become a major contributor in the AHF’s vast rural education projects.


Mr. Peter Hillary has spent a lifetime in the Himalayas, both as a record-setting mountaineer, and as an active supporter of numerous philanthropic organizations in the Solu Khumbu region. His co-establishment of the AHF has proven vital in the strengthening of the Australia-Nepal connection.


Future tourism, self-sustainability and, most importantly, the generation of mutual respect between cultures were Mr. Robin Boustead’s ultimate aims when he made his epic traverse of the Great Himalayan Trail, treading paths previously unseen by foreigners.


Late Ms. Sue Fear was loved and highly respected by all who knew her. But despite her untimely death on Mount Manaslu in 2006, her fearless feats in the mountains along with her devotion to both the Fred Hollows Foundation and the AHF will remain her legacy for years to come.


In 1984, when Mr. Tim Macartney-Snape set foot atop Everest with Mr. Greg Mortimer on the first successful Australian ascent, they set new horizons for Australian mountaineers. In 1987, his co-establishment of the Nepal Eye Program Australia (NEPA) also set new horizons in the future of eye care for Nepal. NEPA’s support was a significant contributing factor to what has become one of the country’s greatest success stories - Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, which is headed by medical director Dr. Sanduk Ruit.


The book is for commemorative purposes only and not commercially available. Its purpose is to celebrate a half-century milestone while providing an optimistic outlook for the strengthening of diplomatic and personal relations between Australians and Nepalis into the future.


Visitor Arrivals Soar in June 2010


The figures released by Immigration Office, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) reveal that visitor arrivals in June 2010, compared to the same month last year, have increased by 16.3% to 26,997. This brought the cumulative visitor arrivals for the first six months of this year to 196,319 18.1% more than in the same period last year.


In June 2010, all markets registered growth in visitor arrivals. The arrivals from South Asian region, except for the arrivals from Sri Lanka, have gained overall positive growth of 22.2% with Bangladesh (51.4%) and Pakistan (13%) registering positive growth. Visitor arrivals from India have increased by 20.9% which showed sustained growth this year, except soft decline in the month of April.


China, another major source market for Nepal, also recorded double digit growth of 13.5%. As for other short-haul markets, Southeast Asia showed mixed reaction in terms of visitor arrivals. Malaysia and Singapore witnessed dramatic growth, as visitor arrivals registered positive growth of 59.6% and 100.4% respectively. Visitors from Japan have registered a positive growth of 2%. However arrivals from South Korea and Thailand have registered a negative growth of 35.3% and 26.5% respectively.


From long-haul markets, Europe registered overall positive growth of 6.2% with major source markets showing positive trend in terms of visitor arrivals. Arrivals from Austria, France, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Russia and Poland are up by 50.8%, 34.7%, 13.7%, 59.4%, 105.3%, 49.3%, and 19.6% respectively. However, visitor arrivals from UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland have declined by 2.4%, 15.4%, 9.1%, and 1.4% respectively.


Likewise, arrivals from Canada and the United States of America also registered positive growth of 21.1% and 16.7% respectively. However, Australia and New Zealand posted negative growth of 4.2% and 12.9% respectively.


International tourist arrivals grew by 7% in the first four months of 2010 according to the latest issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. This growth confirms the recovery trend beginning in the last quarter of 2009 and comes despite the challenging conditions of recent months. While April’s results were affected by the week-long closure of European airspace, globally the pace of recovery is faster than initially expected, driven largely by emerging markets. For the full year 2010, UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to grow by 3% to 4%.


A total of 31,987 foreign tourists departed from TIA in June 2010.The number of Nepalese arrivals stood at 47,592 while 63,910 Nepalese departed from TIA in June 2010.


Australia Sales Mission 2010


Nepal Tourism Board in coordination with Nepal Embassy, Canberra, Australia and Consulate of Nepal in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane organized a Sales Mission in Australia from 18-21 May, 2010. The Sales Mission was held in Melbourne on 18th May, Sydney on 19th May and Brisbane on 21st May, 2010 respectively.


The main focus of this Sales Mission was to promote Nepal Tourism Year 2011 in Australia along with other added tourism attractions of Nepal, specially natural and cultural attractions trekking and adventure activities. Addressing the media and travel trade in all three cities, H.E. Ambassador Mr. Yogendra Dhakal informed them about the rejuvenated state of tourism in Nepal. He stressed that Government of Nepal and the Nepalese tourism entrepreneurs are quite euphoric about the NTY campaign and looking forward to welcoming a large number of tourists from Australia. Ambassador Dhakal pledged his full cooperation and support to the Australian travel-tour operators in their endeavor to send more Australians to Nepal in 2010 and especially in NTY-2011.


Senior Director of NTB and Member Secretary of Program Implementation Committee of Nepal Tourism Year 2011 Campaign Mr. Subash Nirola gave a comprehensive presentation on the tourism products and attractions of Nepal. He explained the various activities undertaken by NTB in the Australian market. He highlighted the aim and objectives of NTY 2011 and the role of NTB to make this campaign successful. Mr. Nirola emphasized that this campaign will open new tourism areas and activities for the Australian tourists. He also informed the Australian travel-tour operators that their counterparts in Nepal are preparing themselves to offer new packages which will make the stay of our guests as memorable one.


The Sales Mission also appraised the Australian travel writers and the entrepreneurs about the present growing positive situation in Nepal and how Nepal’s tourism industry has been rejuvenated after the launching of Nepal Tourism Year 2011. The launching of Nepal Tourism Year with the slogan-"Together for Tourism” aims at doubling the existing arrival figures of tourists in Nepal to one million.


The number of total tourist arrivals from Australia by air to Nepal during January to April 2010 has increased by 10% as compared to the same period in 2009.


The Nepal delegation also made presentations on NTY 2011 and interacted with the Nepalese community in all the three Australian cities through the Non Resident Nepali Association for their active participation and support during NTY 2011.


The Nepal delegation at the Australia Sales Mission in all three cities was led by His Excellency Mr. Yogendra Dhakal, Ambassador of Nepal to Australia and included Mr. Subash Nirola, Senior Director, NTB, Mr. Diwakar B. Rana, Manager, NTB and private sector trade partners from Nepal.


Kingfisher Airlines LAUNCHES FLIGHTS FROM NEW DELHI TO KATHMANDU


New Delhi, April 24, 2010 Kingfisher Airlines, India’s only Five Star Airline rated by Skytrax, today announced the launch of 2 new additional international routes - New Delhi to Kathmandu and New Delhi to Dubai.


With the launch of these new flights, the total number of international destinations that Kingfisher Airlines flies to from New Delhi goes up to five. The other three international destinations that Kingfisher Airlines flies to out of New Delhi are London, Bangkok and Hong Kong.


The flights on all these routes are being operated with Kingfisher Airlines’ modern fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft. The flights on the New Delhi-Dubai route will feature a dual-class cabin with five star luxury on Kingfisher First and Kingfisher Class, the premium economy service, while the flights on the New Delhi-Kathmandu and Mumbai-Dubai route will feature Kingfisher Class.


In Kingfisher First, guests can expect to be pampered with the first-of-its-kind luxury right from the airport to on-board comforts, gourmet cuisine and in-flight entertainment. The award-winning Kingfisher experience includes roomy seats with a wide seat pitch and ample leg room, in-flight entertainment, gourmet cuisine, specially trained international cabin crew and a host of on-board comforts.


Commenting on the launch of these new international routes, Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman and CEO, Kingfisher Airlines Limited said, “I am delighted to announce the launch of three new international routes including the launch of Kingfisher Airlines’ maiden service between New Delhi and Kathmandu. Kingfisher Airlines has redefined the whole experience of flying and with the launch of these new flights, discerning flyers on these popular international routes will now have the choice of traveling with India’s favourite airline. “


Kingfisher Airlines has the largest network in India and flies to many cities that are served exclusively by Kingfisher Airlines. The New Delhi-Kathmandu flight offers excellent connectivity with Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Leh and London amongst other cities. Kingfisher Airlines’ guests will now be able to fly in from these cities and easily connect with the New Delhi-Kathmandu flight. Guests flying in from Kathmandu to New Delhi will get easy and convenient connections to Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.


The New Delhi-Dubai flight offers excellent connectivity with Pune, Jammu, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Amritsar and others. Kingfisher Airlines’ guests will now be able to fly in from these cities and easily connect with the Mumbai-Dubai and New Delhi-Dubai flights.


Kingfisher Airlines caters to all segments of air travel ranging from low-fare service - Kingfisher Red, to the premium economy service - Kingfisher Class, to the luxurious Kingfisher First. As India’s market-leading airline, Kingfisher Airlines offers the maximum number of flights offered by any single airline network in India. Kingfisher Airlines connects 61 cities in India and 8 international destinations and has over 390 daily departures with a fleet of 66 aircraft.