The mixed signals the government is sending out to the international community in the aftermath of the Great Earthquake are troubling. On the one hand, it has declared the three districts inside Kathmandu Valley as 'crisis-hit' zones so that the damaged infrastructures therein can be easily demolished and new structures built in their place. Among other things, the decision, based on the Natural Calamity (Relief) Act, 1982, gives the government the right to curtail civil rights that come in the way of demolition and reconstruction activities. On the other hand, it has just declared all major heritage sites in the Valley open to public, even though many of them have been badly damaged and will require major repairs. The government has done so by going against the recommendation of UNESCO that at least two of the World Heritage Sites—Kathmandu Durbar Square and Swayambhunath—are unsafe to visitors and vulnerable to theft as many valuables are still trapped inside the rubble. These sites should be open to public only if they don't need major renovations and are ensured against theft, which is clearly not the case. Such muddled messages from Nepal are likely to deter would-be tourists from coming and visiting even safe places like Pokhara and Chitwan that are open for business.In the last few days the government has been requesting embassies of different countries based in Kathmandu to either modify or remove their 'negative' travel advisories. The countries which have warned their citizens against visiting Nepal include the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and Israel. But how can they advice their citizens to visit areas that have been declared 'disaster prone' by Nepal? Rather than trying to convince the world that everything in Nepal is hunky-dory, the message we should rather be sending is that tourist hubs like Pokhara and Chitwan have been largely unaffected by recent earthquakes and are safe to visit—and that our only international airport is up and running again. Giving out such a nuanced message will be vital if the country is to recoup even a fraction of the enormous loss incurred by the tourism sector. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation expects tourist arrivals to dip by 40 percent in 2015 and at least by 20 percent for the next couple of years. Nearly 200,000 foreign tourists have cancelled their bookings in the last three months alone, which amounts to a loss of Rs 12 billion to the national economy.
The only way tourists can be convinced to come is if our government makes an honest assessment of the damages to popular tourist destinations and communicates the same to the international community. Again, while Kathmandu recovers, why can't foreign tourists go visit safe places like Pokhara and Chitwan and in the process help rebuild the devastated country? Our pitch to would-be travelers should be that we are doing everything we can to restore damaged tourism infrastructure. While we are at it, why don't you help us—the only way you can? Such honesty and clarity in message will be important in order to convince travelers to come. Meanwhile, we would like to request all the foreign embassies and consulates based in Nepal to help us convey this truth about Nepal to their citizens back home. The worst you can do is scare away the very people who can best help us recover from the recent tragedy.
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