It was close to midnight on the twenty-seventh day of the month of May in the year 2008 AD when Nepal was declared a federal democratic republic. Nepal is no more a kingdom and it is likely that the country will have a President in the near future as the head of state. This epochal change in the state structure has brought new implications in the form of opportunities and challenges in all economic spheres including tourism.

For over 50 years, Nepal was promoted as the Himalayan Kingdom and the only Hindu state in the world. Since then Nepal has attracted a fair share of world’s most reputed personalities not to mention kings and queens, prince, princess, billionaires, rock stars, tennis icons, and tourists of all shades.

Given the revelry and the occasional glamorous rituals commanded within the cultural and social life of Nepalese the royal family held its own charm and charisma for tourists and travelers coming from far and wide.

The first batch of tourists is believed to have come in the year 1955 in the initiation of the legendary Boris Lissanevitch of the Royal Hotel. Their fascination to buy handicraft and take up sightseeing tours in Nepal made late Crown Prince Mahendra grant ‘tourist visas’ to the foreigners. That is how Nepal’s tourism got a jump start.

The 1956 coronation of King Mahendra is regarded as another milestone in tourism promotion when heads of state from various countries visited Nepal along with their international press entourage. One of the high-profile state visit was made by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles in 1961 during which the entire airstrip of Meghauli was carved out.

This has today become a tourist destination along with annual events like Elephant Polo. Some of the other dignitaries who visited Nepal include Emperor of Japan, Queen of Denmark, President of Romania, Prince Joachim of Denmark, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Princess Anne and Princess Diana.

The construction of Chaysalin Mandap in Bhaktapur Durbar Square by German Chancellor Kohl and the popularity of ‘Royal Trek’ pioneered by Prince of Wales himself were just a few of the memorable events that had lasting impression on Nepal’s tourism image.

The Nepal Tourism Board is visiting key tourism markets to encourage travelers to come visit the new republic. After the successful completion of the Constituent Assembly Election in April 2008 followed by the announcement of a republic in May, a fresh mandate was put forth from the people for peace and stability in the country. The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), a National Tourism Organization driven by private sector tourism stakeholders, is hitting the road on a promotional blitz. In the U.S., the team will promote travel to Nepal among U.S. media, travel agents and tour operators in Los Angeles (June 20), San Francisco (June 23), Denver (June 24), Washington DC (June 26) and New York (June 27).

The team comprised of eight Nepalese private tourism companies led by NTB will be looking to capitalize on the popularity of Nepal as the premier adventure destination. The mission is being supported and assisted by the Embassy of Nepal. NTB, under its brand campaign "Naturally Nepal -- Once Is Not Enough," has been focusing on the U.S. market with various adventure packages. The drive of the new tourism brand is to reinvent Nepal's diversity, uniqueness and cultural heritage while keeping a strong focus on sustainability and environmental tourism efforts. Nepal's new tourism branding is all about sharing the sense of Nepal's hospitality, culture and history. Themes that will be featured in the new brand campaign will be extreme and soft-adventure activities, Nepal's culture, meditation; festivals and more.

Last year Nepal experienced substantial growth of 27.1 percent in the number of tourists visiting Nepal as compared to 2006. In 2007, tourist arrivals from U.S. increased by 45.5 percent compared to 2006. The first quarter of 2008 has also registered a 32 percent growth of U.S. tourist arrivals. Nepal has good air connectivity to U.S. via Pacific and Atlantic through a number of airlines, such as Silk Air/Singapore Airlines, Nepal Airlines, Dragon Air, Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, Jet Airways and Indian Airlines. For more information, call 952-914-6701 or visit http://www.welcomenepal.com/.

Buddhist Tourism in Nepal

The Himalayan Kingdom, Nepal is located in South East Asia and is bordered by Tibet in the north and India in the south, east and west. With an area of 147, 181 sq km, Nepal happens to be the 93rd largest country in the world.
A majority of population in Nepal are the followers of Hinduism and only 11% of them adhere to the philosophy of Buddhism. Despite this low percentage, Nepal figures high on the list of Buddhist tourists. The reason for this is that the country is home to Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Gautam Buddha himself. Lumbini is counted amongst the top four holy sites for Buddhists. Apart from this, Buddhist tourists will also find a number of other worthvisiting destinations, temples, monasteries and stupas in the country.

If, as a Buddhist tourist, you have not paid a visit to this country till now, start planning a trip right away for you are missing out something really significant. Relevant information that will help you plan out your trip in a detailed manner is provided in this section. Here, you will find information on specific Buddhist attractions that are worth visiting in Nepal. You will know in detail about the location, history, legend and highlights of each of these attractions. Additional information, like the one on hotels will assist you further in making your trip completely hasslefree.

So, do not delay. Set out on one of the most memorable Buddhist sojourn of your life. The section is here to guide you at every step.

History of Nepal : -

Breathtaking scenery, ancient cultures and traditions, and some of the friendliest people to be found anywhere are tied up together in the kingdom known as Nepal. Nepal is a combination of world's eight highest peaks, tropical jungles, rushing rivers and peaceful valleys. The Kiratis, Mongoloid people who came in 7th or 8th century B.C gave birth to the history of Nepal. The indo-Aryan people from north India overruled the Kirati King in 300 A.D, Buddhism faded and Hinduism came in with the Licchavis. The Shah dynasty came in 1768 followed by the Ranas and the Koirala's.

Government & Politics :-

The Kings role came to an end in 1989, when the opposition parties formed a coalition to fight for a multiparty democracy with the king as constitutional head. On 9th April 1990 the King lifted the ban on political parties and introduced the Democratic Government in Nepal.

Foreign Exchange / Currency :-

The Nepalese rupee is the local currency and is subdivided into 100 paise. Import of Indian currency by foreigners other than Indian nationals is strictly prohibited.

Population of Nepal :-

The population of Nepal's was 23 million in 2001. You will find different races and tribes, speaking different languages. The capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu comprises the highest of the total population, which is around one million.

Religion of Nepal :-

The religion of Nepal blends Hinduism and Buddhism where majority of people are Hindus (90%), then come Buddhist (6%), Islam (3%), and rest 1% of the total population.

Language :-

There are more than 30 languages spoken in Nepal. Nepali is the national and official language of Nepal. English is language of tourism and spoken by majority of peoples in Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara and Chitwan National park in Nepal.

Visa :-

A valid visa is required by all foreign nationals except Indians which can be issued by Nepali embassy in their respective home countries or can be issued on arrival at any border of entry of Nepal. A multiple entry visa is required if you wish to visit neighboring countries of Nepal. Children under 10 do not require a visa.

Time :-

Nepal is 5 hrs 45 mts ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and 15 mts from Indian Standard Time.

Climate :-

There are basically two seasons in Nepal comprising of Dry season or winter season which lasts from Oct to May , when temperature reaches around 20 degree C and Monsoonal or wet season from June to Sept with temperature around 30 degrees C.

Cities of Nepal :-

Although Nepal tourism is full of beauty with the culture, Nature, Adventure and Safaris. Some of the beauties in and around Kathmandu Valley with their distances from Kathmandu are Patan City (Lalitpur) 6kms, Bhaktapur City 14kms, Kirtipur 8kms, Swayambhunath 4kms, Pashupatinath 5kms, Dakshinkali 20kms, Changu Narayan 24kms, Nagarkot 35kms, Dhulikhel 30kms, Daman 80kms, Pokhara 200kms, Lumbini 306kms, Chitwan (Bharatpur) 162kms.

Restrictions :-

The photograph of temples and army camps are restricted in Nepal.