Efforts on Agro-Ecotourism Promotion

• National Tourism Policy, 2065

• Guidelines for Homestay, 2067

• Government envisages Year “2020” as campaign to boost annual tourist arrivals to 2 million.

• The campaign foresees the Agro tourism concept as Niche based tourism.

• The effort has also set an ambitious target to increase employment in tourism sector to 1 million.

• Vision follows Nepal Tourism Year 2011 that has been described as being a moderately successful campaign for being able to partly restore Nepal’s tourism image deformed by the insurgency that lasted from 1996-2006.

Constraints of Agro-Eco Tourism

• Infrastructure

– Lack of Foot-trails in High altitude and Popular hunting reserves including Dhorpatan HR – – Congested roadways, Unreliable air routes

– Lack of Effecient communication means and Information centres.

• Lacking committment on part of government to promote Agriculture based tourism, while Adventure tourism, Piligrimage tourism, and even Historical and War tourism are being largely promoted in recent years .

• Slack implementation of Several Agro-tourism policies including Pocket packet strategy, One village one product programme, Village return movement.

• Minimal commercialization efforts, fewer professionalized homestays, retarded information flow, site specification, security arrangements.

• Scarcity of resources for massive publicity and consumer promotion.