MEET us at WTM 2015 | 02 - 05 Nov 2015

Elders @ Patan Durbar Square #stillSmiling pic: Rocky Prajapati

As we go into World Travel Market 2015, we are just beyond the six month mark of the EarthQuake that changed the course of Nepal’s history altogether.

The flurry of media activity in Nepal post quake unfortunately only focussed on the destruction, not realising that only a certain portion of the country was affected, and very little was actually destroyed. The effect on the backbone of the economy, tourism was devastating.

Pic: Rocky Prajapati

At socialtours, we have worked through rescue, relief, recovery and since just under a month since the earthquake, have been working hard on reviving Tourism, through various campaigns and programs. Our I AM IN NEPAL NOW campaign viralled online and caught even the attention of international media.

For the past months, we have developed a range of limited edition products, showcasing the strength and resilience of Nepal, in earthquake recovery. We feel that this will greatly enhance your product arsenal for Nepal, giving your travellers a first hand look at how strong and skilled we are, and how Nepal is tuned to react to something like this. This is not Disaster Tourism, we are not showcasing disaster, but we are showcasing the pride and energy that exists in Nepal now. 

Please take a look at our special edition catalog "IN NEPAL NOW" that can be downloaded via this link.

Raj Gyawali (@KingGyawali on twitter), who has been instrumental in development of these packages and who plays a key role in the Tourism Recovery Campaign in Nepal, will be best placed to inform you more about how Nepal is responding and what these packages entail.

Raj will be available at WTM all days and will be delighted to meet up, and discuss possibilities, or even just to have a quick catch up on the situation in Nepal.

Contact him direct at raj@socialtours.com to set an appointment or pick a date and time at the online appointment slots on Google Calendar here

TEAM SOCIALTOURS

Rebuilding Heritage in #nepalNOW | Shantipur Temple, Soyambhunath

The Shantipur temple in Soyambhunath has damages on the outside wall and the inside wall and is now closed for worship, though devotees still worship the door outside - there is no stopping that.

I attended a small meeting at Soyambhunath in the morning, and was pleasantly surprised that it was teeming with devotees (supposedly, three days after the August Full Moon, devotees from Bhaktapur have to come to Soyambhunath). I never knew that, and it always surprises me how many times I feel like a tourist in my own country, every time I come in contact with a new tradition from the over 100 ethnic groups we have.

The first thing that struck me was how young the group in the meeting was - and how diverse. Some were the priests family, some were the custodians of that space, the youth club, the sponsors etc. The discussion was revolving around traditions - with the earthquake and the recovery, whether to modify the traditions or find ways to preserve. Fascinating debates that happens in Nepal now.

So here is the story. The main sanctum sanctorum of Shantipur can only be opened by the priests, and no other person is ever allowed to enter. So no one really knows what is in there, even today, except this young guy sitting around the drinking tea (who I secretly hoped would take me aside and tell me, but it was not to be) who comes from the priest clan, and whose grandfather, now 92, is still head priest of this temple. It is said that this slightly bent man with a pacemaker suddenly walks straight when inside this deepest part of the temple. The devotees can only come to the second level, just outside, and of course around the temple too.

The decision. We cannot modify tradition. Tradition and belief systems are a combination of known and unknown, and if you make the unknown known, we destroy ancient beliefs and this is the beginning of the end. If there is way to keep the mystery there, we will preserve tradition. Everyone is agreed on that!

Hence an interesting solution for recovery comes up and is agreed upon. Wood panel walls will be constructed to keep the accessible area separate from the inaccessible. A walled area will be outside the temple, and there will be walls to separate the sanctum sanctorum from the outside too… the priest clan will go inside and work there on their own, doing the restoration and recovery of what is their responsibility, the outside can be done by other people. However, all of them have to be raised from the ground up together to keep the building stable and earthquake resistant.

The most fascinating thing in this whole discussion, I think, is that there is no questions of architects, painters, masons, technique. We know that already - this has been preserved through the ages. The discussion on funds is casual - the Indians, the Thai, the government have all promised something, but no one goes to them… when they are ready to fund, they have to come to these committees who hold the keys to each structure. The agreement - let them figure it out. When they are ready, they will come to us!

Shantipur Temple, Soyambhunath, Kathmandu

Later, someone laughs about how lucky we are that the earthquake happened after 86 years of the last one. If it was after a 100 years, everyone who had experience in restoration of these structures would be already dead! That way, Nepal is lucky - this cycle of 80 odd years of earthquakes preserves ancient traditional skills - as the ARTISANS rise again, every time disaster strikes.

We leave after drinking some really, I mean really sweet tea, and feeling a deep sense of pride - in our own ability to restore our heritage.

Check out the RISE of the ARTISAN - a trip focussed on exactly this - the artisan who rebuilds structures that have fallen.

Recovering from the quake

Photo by: Rocky Prajapati

Every century, with a cycle of around 80 years, a devastating earthquake shakes up the two continental plates below Nepal, jolting all life above it. With each repetition, buildings collapse, lives are lost, and normalcy turns upside down for a while.

Yet every time it happens, the country comes together, gets stronger, and works harder to build back. And build back it does. Better, stronger and more resilient. This has been proven time and again.

The two major earthquakes of 25th April and 12th May caused widespread damage in some districts in Nepal, no doubts about that. That was the earthquake doing its thing.

The reaction of the people, considered to be one of the best crisis managers in the world, was extraordinary. Before the government or international aid could kick in, the youth, business-people, monks, nuns, schools, colleges all started to work in relief, and before anything had even arrived in Nepal in terms of aid, had conducted an astounding amount of relief runs, mobilising funds and resources and moving tons upon tons of relief into areas that needed it.

In the far flung villages, the youth had dug up bodies, cremated them, and had started on emergency shelters within a few days already, conditioned by centuries of living in isolated small valleys and knowing how to be self-sufficient.

This strength and resilience is something worth experiencing, the nature of this incredible mix of over 100 ethnic groups living in this stretch of land that is Nepal, nestled between giants of China and India, never colonised and never conquered.

In tourism, the reaction was similar. First priority was getting everyone home safe, so rescue missions were organised to get stranded travellers out of the way. After that, companies started looking after their own - staff, guides, porters etc who needed help. After that the industry rallied together to start a recovery process, running as we write and which has developed into a very unique industry led initiative thats taking the lead in turning the tourism of this country for the better. An understanding of this process and the participation in it, can change ones understanding of how an industry should react in disasters of this magnitude.

At socialtours, we are working hard on several aspects of the recovery process

1. Leading an industry initiative to recover tourism through engaging in designing of mitigating strategies and actions to back it up. A big positive results of this has become the new recovery website endorsed by the government www.nepalNOW.org . We urge all partners to also endorse this, as this is beneficial for the one voice that is required to drive customers to buy trips again. 
2. Developing post quake recovery products that are experiences that encompass what we have described above. Most of our trips have already become relevant in the recovery process, as travellers can now meet survivors, relief workers and real champions in order to understand how a country responds to something like this. This is a strong promise and in Nepal NOW easy to deliver. We ourselves are survivors and socialtours alone has organised and is implementing over 50,000 USD worth of relief works and we continue to do so since day one. 
3. Initiating confidence building campaigns like the I AM IN NEPAL NOW and I AM GOING TO NEPAL campaigns that are viralling on social media. 
4. Finding ways to make the travellers in this two year window feel even more welcome, sometimes things as little as finding out which room is allocated and leaving a nice note for them.  

Together in Tourism!

10 Things You Probably did not know about Nepal

By now you know that Nepal was hit by quake in April 2015, is in ASIA and between India & China. But did you know these cool things about Nepal? Here are just 10 of them.

1. We perfected the mo:mo | #stillTasty

This snack probably came from South China, via Tibet, and when it hit Nepal, it hit our crazy tastebuds, and we started the experimentation with fillings, spices & sauces. The result. A perfect mo:mo (do not ask why we write it that way!

2. The Tharu in the south are immune to Malaria | #stillMysterious

A long time ago, the Tharu ran away from their native Thar Desert because of the invasion of the Moghuls. They established their bases in the then Malaria ridden jungles of south Nepal. No one knows why they are resistant.

3. Nepali Artisans can recreate anything traditional | #stillArtistic

Art is a tradition that falls under a lineage in Nepal. Hence we have artists who can recreate almost any ancient heritage. 

4. Polyandry still exists in remote communities in the West of Nepal | #stillKinky

Yup. It does. Women, soak it in. In remote mountain areas of the West of Nepal, some families still practice polyandry. Kinky as hell, but it seems to work for them!

5. We can grow everything in this country, from pineapples and banana all the way to nothing in a 250 kms breadth | #stillFertile

This is so amazing. Nepal has from sub-tropic to alpine regions, so can achieve amazingly diverse crops.

6. We speak over 100 different languages and dialects in this country | #stillDiverse

It does get a bit crazy. We can be surprised by our own people on a daily basis. Also it means we can have an endless potential for domestic tourism.

7. We have one of the highest biodiversity densities in the world | #stillRich

This is quite a surprise but it must have to do with our steepness, from 70m to the top of the world in just 250 meters breadth.

8. A fungus that grows out of a dead caterpillars stomach is one of the most expensive commodities coming from the alpine regions of Nepal - Yarsa Gumba (or cordyceps) is used in virility drinks in China and sells for millions | #stillVirile

Yup. No wonder then that our population is over 27 million. 

9. Nepal was never conquered or colonised | #stillInvincible

This is something that every Nepali is ultimately proud of. We fought the British tooth and nail (actually with stones and knives) but they just gave up, after fighting Malaria in the plains and the skillful agile Nepali in the mid-hills.

10. Nepal was bloody well formed because of this quake. We own it | #stillFunny

This is what made us no doubts. If the plates did not exist, we would not be here.

Press Release | Nepal is building-back-better for autumn 2015 tourist arrivals

source: www.humanitarianresponse.info

Kathmandu, 15 June 2015 - Major reconstruction work and in-depth assessments are underway in Nepal to build-back-better and get the Himalayan nation ready for the upcoming tourist season.

The two earthquakes that shook parts of Nepal on 25 April and 12 May 2015 have brought damage to 14 of the 75 districts of the country, and even though the devastation is extensive in some regions, many areas remain relatively unscathed and are fit for tourists to visit in autumn 2015.

“Our nation is working hard to make Nepal a safer place,” says the founder director of socialtours - Raj, who has been in the industry for more than a decade. “The tourist district Thamel has been relatively unaffected. Damaged hotels are getting a full structural assessment and are being restored to an even better condition than before.” Under the assessment project, engineers have marked safe buildings with a green sticker and started demolishing those deemed unsafe in and around the Kathmandu Valley.

Damaged sites, such as the historic Kathmandu Durbar Square, have partly been reconstructed and opened for tourists on 15 June. The main roads and air transport links are operational and life is getting back to normal in many areas. “Nepal is a wonderful country and one of the best qualities of the Nepali people is their hospitality. They are very resilient and are working hard to get their country back on the international tourism agenda,” says Katja Staartjes, a Dutch mountaineer and a Goodwill Ambassadors to aid tourism, emphasising the need for this source of income to return to the country.

Many trekking areas have seen little damage and, if the monsoon rains do not trigger landslides in these areas, trekking will be as safe as it was before the quake. “Apart from Langtang, Rolwaling and Manaslu, we do not see much of a problem with other trails, such as the Everest Base Camp Trek,” says Swiss geologist Erwin Scheibert, who is assessing the routes in the affected areas for the Local Road Improvement Programme (LRIP) in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP).

Other places further in the west, such as the popular wildlife parks Chitwan and Bardia, the lakeside town of Pokhara and the much-visited Annapurna trekking region have also escaped widespread damage, and are ready for visitors to showcase their abundance of natural beauty and wildlife. Buddha’s birthplace Lumbini, did not suffer damage and is thankfully all set to welcome visitors back to its sacred soil.

Tourism is a big contributor to the Gross Domestic Product of the Himalayan nation, directly supporting almost 500,000 jobs in 2014. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) this figure was due to rise to almost 700,000 in the coming ten years. “With tourists not coming to Nepal even more people will be forced to leave the country, which will be devastating for the future of our country,” Gyawali continues.

The Nepal Institute of Development Studies (NIDS) says that around 2.2 million Nepalis, which constitutes about 10 per cent of the population, have opted to leave the country to work abroad in order to provide the necessary means to feed their families.

For more information, please contact - NepalTourismRecovery@groups.facebook.com 
- or visit www.facebook.com/groups/NepalTourismRecovery

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