Marketing and promotion of tourism in Pokhara

5.1    Introduction

Tourism, in the context of the present world has become one of the leading sectors for the socio-economic transformation in many countries. As a lucrative industry, tourism is growing rapidly in many developing countries including Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, . In this context, Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , which is known as naturally gifted Himalayan kingdom, has unlimited potentiality for the development of tourism as it has miraculous assimilation between unique natural and enriched cultural assets. Consequently, tourism has become one of the main sources of earning foreign exchange for the nation and also earning livelihood to ordinary citizens as employment generation. Comparatively, Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, has become a hotspot destination for adventurous activities like mountaineering and trekking not only to the westerners, but also to the Asian tourists. The Hindu and Buddhist religious heritages, and the favorable weather conditions throughout the year have generated the spontaneous flow towards the touristic attractions. In the tourism global market, Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, is popularly known as a country of Mount Everest (the highest mountain in the world) and also the birth place of Lord Buddha (the apostle of peace, love and symbol of non-violence). Besides Everest and Lumbini (the birth place of Buddha), Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, has become the preserver of the most sacred and ancient shrines and monuments which are known as the holiest and reverent destinations for the spiritually and culturally aware people of the world. In analyzing the increment of the number of tourists during the few decades of the past and their contentment, mentioned in the feedback report, it will not be exaggeration to say that Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, has become the very synonym of tourism.

Pokhara, one of the most beautiful cities of Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , is established as a unique tourist destination of the world because of its aesthetic potentiality generated basically from natural and topographical perspectives. The graph below reflects the growing number of tourists visiting Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, and their arrival in Pokhara spontaneously.

An analysis of tourists’ arrivals in Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, reveals that Pokhara has received

28.46% of tourists visiting Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, in the last ten years from 2001 to 2010.

However, the numbers of total tourists’ arrival of Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, are found fluctuated

between 21.55 percent in 2001 to 38.28 percent in 2010 (MoTCA 2012).

In this regard, the two elements, marketing and promotion, remain a vital

component for targeting more tourists’ market segments and also the

development of tourism in Pokhara. In this context, this chapter attempts

to  discuss  the trends  and  issues  of  tourism  marketing in  Pokhara.  It

reviews various efforts made in the past about marketing Pokhara and

finally comes out with various strategic plans to strengthen the marketing

and promotion of Pokahra in future. The information for this chapter is

collected through the reviews of secondary publications and interviews

with key stakeholders of tourism in Pokhara, to whom this researcher has

chosen through his professional knowledge and experience while working

in Pokhara Tourism Council.