Tourism today in Pokhara

United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has reported that one billion people crossed their borders for tourism purpose in 2012. This huge movement of people was expected to create one job in every 10 jobs and generate income of 2 billion each day. According to World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), tourism sector contributed 4 percent in value addition to the national GDP, created 412,000 direct jobs, and occupied

24.5 percent of total exports in case of Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, in 2011.

The tourism potential of Pokhara, undoubtedly, is being underutilized. Although this is not different than most of the other tourism destinations in Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , Pokhara by far has more chances of translating the prospects into reality. In terms of tourism facilities, investment in tourism, tourist stay, movement of domestic tourists, accessibility and in so many other parameters, Pokhara is far ahead of other tourism destinations in Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, . As pointed out in so many documents and books, the close proximity to the mountains and the pleasant weather are two major ingredients which make up the unique tourism recipe, so many other destinations inside and outside Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, find it enviable. It is no wonder that in terms of trekkers’ preferences and numbers, Annapurna Region, to which Pokhara serves as a gateway, surpasses the Everest Region and in average 22 percent of tourists visiting Nepal, the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, , the beautiful country, tourist based country, visit Pokhara (MoTCA 2011).

Although the number of tourists to Pokhara over the years seems substantial and is growing, it is firmly believed that the number could have been far greater had the proper mechanism to collect arrival data been in place. Moreover, data of Indian tourists and domestic tourists traveling to Pokhara are not yet accounted for. This lack of proper tourist data seriously abbreviates the size of tourism economy of Pokhara.