2024 Unveiled
International media outlets often highlight Nepal’s natural beauty, mountains, and ancient places as must-visit places for world travelers. Is Nepal utilizing these free promotions to attract tourists?
Before the expiry of the year as per the Gregorian calendar, many international media outlets release lists of selected tourism destinations from around the world. While doing so, these outlets hardly miss Nepal in their must visit list. The unparalleled scenic beauty of Nepal’s Himalayas, unique culture, traditional lifestyle and ancient heritage sites always impress travelers. Based on their impression, Nepal’s tourist destinations are ranked in the top list of famed international media outlets namely: The New York Times, CNN, National Geographic, Tripadvisor and BBC among others. Nepal’s popular tourist destinations namely Pokhara, Chitwan National Park, Sagarmatha National Park, Tilicho Lake, Langtang, Gosaikunda, Kanchenjunga, Khaptad and Lumbini, among others are included in their list.
In 2024, The New York Times named Nepal’s Upper Mustang region as one of the 52 places to be visited in 2024. The Times, one of the most influential American newspapers, described Upper Mustang as “a bastion of traditional Tibetan culture.” The traditional Buddhist culture in the high Himalayan range has been preserved for centuries by its remoteness. Both Pokhara International Airport and a new 183-mile road linking the region to China has given travelers easier access to sites like the well-preserved medieval fortress of Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang. This area was restricted to outsiders until the early 1990s due to security reasons. It’s now open for trekkers. They can trek and experience the highlander’s lifestyle after obtaining a permit from the local administration. One traveling to Upper Mustang Trek through the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri Mountain ranges traverse river gorges, glacial lakes and rugged trails dotted with yaks, sheep and mountain goats.
In January 2023, CNN listed Mustang valley as one of the 23 must-visit places. Tripadvisor, the world-famous travel website, named Kathmandu as the best natural destination in the world for the year 2024. In January, the website announced Tripadvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Award-2024 in seven categories and placed Kathmandu on the top spot on this list. The digital outlet destined Nepal’s capital as “a valley full of historic sites, ancient temples, shrines, and fascinating villages.”
“Mingle with locals and animals amid Durbar Square’s monuments or join mountain trekkers in the bustling Thamel. Explore shops for exquisite work by local artisans–carpets and paper prints are specialities,” writes TripAdvisor. Not just tourist destinations, some hotels are also recognized among the best service providers. This year, National Geographic named The Shinta Mani Mustang, a hotel in Mustang among the top 22 best new hotels for 2024.
As described by National Geographic, guests at Shinta Mani’s all-inclusive lodge are paired with guides who take them adventuring amid the dramatic mountain and desert landscapes of Nepal’s Lower Mustang region. The hotel was built using sustainable local resources such as stones from Baglung to evoke traditional Nepali houses. “Guest rooms are furnished with tiger motif rugs and antiques,” writes National Geographic, “At the 60-seat Nilgiri restaurant, dishes such as Himalayan yak momos (dumplings) and Tibetan thukpa (meat and noodle soup) rely on ingredients from local farms.
” Travel+ Leisure has mentioned Everest Base Camp, Bhaktapur’s scene allure, Chitwan’s wildlife wonder, and Sagarmatha’s mystical charm–as a few lists of beautiful places to visit in 2024. “The country is a treasure for wandering souls, providing views of some of the world’s highest mountains, a visual feast and a haven for adventure,” wrote Travel+Leisure, “The thrilling treks in this mountainous haven have long been a call, drawing travelers from around the globe to witness the unparalleled beauty that unfolds at every turn.”
Through these international media outlets, Nepali tourist destinations have been receiving free promotion. Which is a great thing because getting space in international media is costly. For example, Nepal Tourism Board had to pay tens of thousands of dollars to international media and popular travel websites to promote its tourism destinations and disseminate positive news about the country. In 2017, NTB had signed an advertisement deal with BBC. As per agreement BBC agreed to advertise Nepal as tourism destination till the month of September this year and the cost to advertise in BBC was 680,000 USD. Nepal Tourism Board had agreed to pay TripAdvisor 280,000 USD and a total of 75,000 USD for Reuters to promote Nepali tourism destinations.
But the question that arises is whether our tourism marketing authorities are utilizing these free advertisements by digital contents to promote Nepal? Shouldn’t they be utilizing this to promote them within Nepal and beyond?