Tourism In Nepal

This book explores the role of tourism in the expression of nationalism in Nepal. It investigates assemblage of images, emblems, and symbols of Nepali nationhood in various touristic representations and narratives from Nepali travellers and diasporic visitors to showcase how they express nationhood and stimulate a strong sentiment of national feeling and belonging. The book suggests that touristic settings in Nepal provide a venue for articulation of nation, first through internal ascription, that is, the construction of identity by citizens with the nation; and second, through the promotion of distinctive touristic identity through the assertion of national uniqueness and distinguishing the nation within the larger international community. Given the recent great political changes, post-conflict nation rebuilding, and development, Nepal offers a fascinating case study on the role of tourism and nationalism. This book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and professionals working in tourism and heritage studies, sociology, anthropology, geography, political science, and area studies, as well as those interested in the study of developing societies.

This book has been prepared keeping in mind rapid changes taking place in the land-locked economy of Nepal seated in the lap of Great Himalaya where tourism is expected to contribute in a big way. Salient Features - Analyzes economic impact of tourism growth on various aspects of the Nepalese economy. - Explores the role of tourism on globalization of this backward economy. - Attempts to incorporate important studies undertaken in this context. - Incorporates opinions of leading experts on tourism promotion and economic development exclusively for this book. - Thoroughly reviews contours of changes in tourism policy. - Well documented in terms of source of tourism information, institutions and chronological highlights, etc. In view of the above, this piece of work would be of immense use to policy makers, planners, researchers, practioners and also to students for whom sufficient materials have been added.

Includes statistical tables.

Chapter 1 The Interface between Conflict, Peace and Business ........... 1 Chapter 2 Conceptual Framework for Linking Tourism with Conflict and Peace .............................................................. 15 Chapter 3 Tourism, Security and Peace: A Conceptual Discourse ...... 27 Chapter 4 Labour Disputes in Tourism Sector..................................... 37 Chapter 5 Sustainable Tourism and Post-conflict State Building ........ 51 Chapter 6 Reorienting the Business Actors into the Peace Builders ... 63 Chapter 7 Foreign Direct Investment and Tourism ............................. 77 Chapter 8 Socially Responsible and Peace-sensitive Tourism ............. 91 Chapter 9 Rethinking Tourism for a Prosperous Future ..................... 99

Far Out charts the history of Western countercultural longing for Nepal that made the country, and Kathmandu in particular, a premier tourist destination in the twentieth century. Anthropologist and historian Mark Liechty describes three distinct phases: the immediate post-war era when the country provided a Raj-like throwback experience for rich foreigners (mainly Americans), Nepal’s emergence as the most exotic outpost of hippie counterculture in the 1960s and early '70s, and, finally, the Nepali state’s rebranding of itself as an adventure destination from the 1970s on. Liechty is attuned to how the dynamics of mid-twentieth century globalization--the Cold War and shifting international relations, modernization and development ideologies, the rise of consumerist middle classes, increased mobility and the birth of mass tourism, and emerging global youth countercultures--drew Nepal into the web of geopolitical, economic, and sociocultural transformations that shaped the modern world. But Liechty doesn’t want to tell the story of tourism as something that "just happened” to Nepalis. He shows how Western projections of Nepal as an isolated place inspired creative Nepali enterprises and paradoxically gave locals the opportunity to participate in the highly coveted global economy. The result is a readable cultural history of a place that has been in many ways defined by a (sometimes bizarre) cultural encounter. The author’s lifelong interest in Nepal and his almost twenty-five years of research make his account both sophisticated and empathic--but not without a touch of humor.

This book assesses dimensions of the investment climate in Nepal that shape opportunities for investments, employment, and growth of private firms. It includes data and analysis from five surveys on challenges to the investment climate, and provides policy recommendations to address these challenges.