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

Psychological preparation for disaster

Today, at socialtours, we had a short session with one of our senior city guide Sarita Shrestha regarding the human psychology during and after the natural disaster.

The session started with the sharing of experiences related to the earthquake that hit Nepal on 25th April 2015 with the magnitude of 7.8RS. Everyone had their own stories about where they were, how they felt, what was their immediate response, what was the lasting impact and so on.

We realized that there was something common in the stories we shared. We all were in the state of high alert during the quake and were trying hard to find a safe place for oneself. This taught us the fact that the greatest threat of human being is the threat of life; it makes us ready to do anything... and that means anything.

Then, we evaluated the impact of disaster in our mental health. We found that most of us still have not recovered from the fear. This session, however, helped us to realize that it's normal for anyone to go through such trauma, everyone will get back to their normal life; the pace of recovery depends the personal strength.

On the whole, the session was quite fruitful.  

Socialtours would like to thank Sarita for her time and effort.

Thoughts on the last 2 months interning with socialtours

I came to intern with socialtours in February 2014. The following blogpost is about the first third of my time here in Nepal. 

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At Patan Durbar Square

At breakfast I told my host-mom that a third of my internship is over. She thought about it for a moment, drinking her tea, and then told me that she will miss me. That I am like a second daughter to her. It was one of those moments that make me appreciate the time I have here.

To get to work, I walk along the narrow streets in the direction of Durbar Square, navigating around motorcycles and other people. I still remember my first days in that crazy traffic of Kathmandu, surprised that it actually works out, and thinking I’d never remember the way back home. Well, by now day-to-day life set in. I see the same shops, streets and temples every day, but it is still amazing how many new things I encounter every time. I never get tired of watching the street life in this beautiful city.

Ok, Kathmandu is not exactly a beautiful city in the traditional (western & perfectly paved) way. But the temples and heritage sites at every second corner, buzzing markets and old Newar houses have their own flair. I like it here.

But the best about Nepal are certainly its people. I don’t think I ever met any unfriendly person here. Something I can sadly not say about my home country. Everyone here is somehow helpful and if they don’t have a solution themselves, they will find somebody who will have it. Many people here seem to have a warm and loving heart and I like the custom to call others brothers and sisters. In Nepal I not only have my host-family, but also socialtours is my family. It is amazing how so different people form a family, but one thing is probably common to all of them: the kindness and a good sense of humour. Here I am not looking forward to the weekend, but to go to work.