CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

 1.1 Background of the Study

The word ‘Tourism’ originates from the French word, ‘tourisme’ which means movement of human beings from one place to another for leisure, holiday making or
or other purposes. Various scholars have defined tourism in their own words and the definition has also changed over years implying changes in scope and trend. Hermann Van Schullard was the first person to define tourism in 1910. According to him- “Tourism is the sum of operations mainly economic in nature, which is directly related to the entry, stay and movement of foreigners inside and outside a country, city or region.”
McIntosh defined tourism as “the sum of the phenomenon and relationships arising from interaction of tourist business suppliers, host government and host communities in the process of attracting and hosting these tourist and other visitors.” Tourism is an ancient phenomenon. At present tourism is recognized as one of the chief industries throughout the world. Every country tries to get benefit from tourism. In many countries, it is one of the major sources of foreign exchange and employment. Besides, tourism has also encouraged the growth of an international society of social and cultural attributes to much extent. Modern transportation and communication systems have narrowed down the world. The curiosity about distant land and culture, enjoying leisure and luxury in different
places, exploring and enjoying the natural beauty, pilgrimage, education, business trips, excursion and seminars are the motives behind traveling from one country to another. Tourism is essentially a social phenomenon promoting socio-cultural exchange and bringing different people to the proximity thereby dispelling the mendacious mysticism or romanticism. “The world should no longer regard tourism merely a business, but as a means by which men may know and understand one another, human understanding being so
essential in this world, at this time. ” – According to Gustave Diaz Ordaz, Constitutional President of Mexico.

Tourism is an industry based on human motives. Over the last two decades, tourism has grown to become the largest and fastest growing industry in Nepal. Nepal is known all over the world as the Himalayan Kingdom. The existence and viability of multi-ethnic and multicultural communities are the major cultural tourism
attractions. Tourism industry has played a major role in Nepal’s economy. The arrival of tourists in Nepal every year is directly or indirectly beneficial to the Nepalese people. It is the major source of earning valuable foreign exchange. Due to its great natural beauty and unique and muti-cultural features, Nepal has become an attractive destination for tourists from all over the world. Concerning this fact, it is now essential to extend and promote tourism industry and associate activities and various programs. Nepal is a country of unique beauty and a source of fascination with great potential for tourism development. The natural and man-made beauty of Nepal offers a wealth of sightseeing, recreation, and cultural activities to visitors ranging from viewing the grandiose Himalayan range, tropical wildlife in Terai, art and architecture to the charming lifestyle of Nepali people and its fascinating cultural heritage. The variety of attractions Nepal offers to world tourism is unique and outstanding. The tourism potential is yet largely untouched by the outside world. Ever since Nepal has opened its doors to foreigners, tourism has increased constantly. While the growth of Nepal’s tourism has become  evident in recent years, its relative share of  world tourism has not been meaningful. Nepal has now placed high priority on development of its tourism. Nepal is a beautiful country with a variety of castes, cultures, festivals, religions, languages, architectural styles, historical places, art and literature etc.
Few countries in the world are as fascinating as Nepal. It is also a country of ageless tradition, living legends,  colorful festivals, a Majestic Himalayan range, a rich culture and heritage and diverse flora and fauna.  Nepal’s highest mountains in the world have lured many tourists and climbers. Nepal has succeeded in becoming a central point of attraction for its culture and  adventure tourism all over the world. This in turn has helped promote tourism business in this country.

Tourism is a driving force for the economic development of Nepal. It is a major contributor to Nepal’s economy generating over US$170 million annually and attracting close to half a million foreign visitors starting as early as the year 2000 ( MoCTCA 2001 ). Tourism provides direct and indirect employment to three hundred thousand people. It helps to earn a major portion of foreign exchange and represents 15 percent of total export earnings (NTB 2001). 10th Five Year Plan of Government of Nepal has set forth the following objectives:

Effective promotion of tourism sector achieving sustainable development by enhancing public participation, thus contributing to poverty alleviation.

• To increase people’s participation in the conservation of historical, cultural, religious and archaeological heritage and enhance their practical utilization.
  
• To establish a standard airport aviation service with adequate infrastructure development for domestic and international flight. 

In order to substitute non-achievable opportunities of 9th Plan, annual quantitative objectives were determined for tourism as shown in Table 1.1:

Tourism sector is considered as key to strengthening the national economy improving living standards and reducing poverty. To promote tourism, hotels play a very important role. Hotel industry is the backbone of tourism industry and accommodation and associated facilities have a direct relation to the growth of tourism as well as the growth of foreign exchange earnings. So it plays a vital role in the overall development of the country.

Nepal is a unique destination of tourism. It is the country of Mt. Everest, the birthplace of Lord Buddha and Goddess Sita, home of the world’s famous Gurkha Soldiers and the land of living Goddesses along with rich and diverse culture and heritage. Altogether they have been among the most popular tourist destinations in South Asia. Nepal is the only country where Hinduism is the official religion. Nepal’s most important Hindu pilgrimage sites include the famous Pashupatinath Temple. Overall tourism plays a vital role in the process of national development which is a boon to a country with otherwise limited resources. In Nepal, tourism is not only an important source of foreign currency but also a major factor for the generation of employment. At present this sector is contributing roughly 8.2 percent of total foreign exchange earnings in the country (2.6 percent of GDP) (Economic Survey 2002/03). But the earnings from tourism are highly uncertain and  subject to wide fluctuations as a result of economic recessions and political disturbances around the world. For a country like Nepal which has abundant resources, the tourism sector is expected to continue to play an important role. (Source: Kunwar, 1997) Thus, tourism is undoubtedly a significant component of everyday life. It reaches into the multi-aspects of Nepali life and people from diverse sectors and they are benefited from it, directly as well as indirectly. Tourism is the only sector which contributes more in earning foreign currency; besides it contributes to strengthening the Nepali economy. Thus, tourism must be encouraged and promoted.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Tourism industry is a pioneer for economic development of Nepal but many problems remain unresolved. Coordination among various agencies is lacking. Also the problem of environmental pollution as well as  political instability prevail here. There is also a lack of awareness and knowledge among the Nepali people about tourism in general. Chobhar excels in tourism with much of its vast potentiality still awaiting exploitation. Much more remains to be done in areas such as Infrastructure, transportation, communication and the hotel industry. There is shortage of Tourist guides and trained personnel. Management is  not always up to proper standards to receive the expected number tourist arrivals .

Because of lack of education, people are not so aware of the ever deteriorating environmental conditions. The problem of solid waste with resulting pollution is increasing. The full potential of Chobhar tourism development has therefore not been achieved. This explains why, to date, tourism development has been held back. To develop more Tourism development in the Chobhar area, it is important to improve the living standards of people so that Chobhar becomes a center of attraction on the tourist map. Hence, this study tries to analyze the status of tourism in Chobhar area by showing development which has taken place so far. It also seeks to identify the problems, prospects as well as recommendations and suggestions for further development.

1.3 Significant fact of this Study

The most significant fact of this Study about Chobhar is that it is a Hidden Paradise. Chobhar has vast potential resources, both natural and manmade, in the field of tourism. The community has everything which a tourist can possibly expect. We hope this study will provide the reader with information about  Chobhar and its potential to become a major tourist destination in the near future. A number of temples as Shree Adinath Temple, Jal Vinayak Ganeshthan, Vishnu Devi Mandir, sightseeing places as Chihan Danda, Chobhar height, Khani area,  Taudaha lake, a holy place inhabited by the legendary Nag Snake King, panoramic view atop Chobhar Buddhist monastery, the green pine forest, the beautiful blacktopped road winding through the forest, Chobhar hill and ancient village plus legendary Chobhar gorge, a vast network of natural limestone caves in Chobhar area (1250 meters long, second largest in Nepal and third in Asia), its natural environment, culture and its long history dating back possibly to the 12th century. Its very  location is an attraction that many people do not suspect the existence of. It is hoped this study will familiarize the public about Chobhar and its future prospects for becoming a major tourist attraction in the future.
 

1.4 Objectives of the Study

The general objective of the study is to analyze the potentiality of the tourism development in Chobhar.
The specific objectives are listed below:
i) To analyze the status of tourism development in Chobhar.
ii) To show recent development trends of tourism in Chobhar.
iii) To explore impacts, problems and prospects in the field of development of tourism in Chobhar.

1.5 Limitations of this Study

Present study is limited to Chobhar and doesn’t cover other areas. It is the first research on tourism development in Chobhar and all information was based on data collected from field survey. Because of non availability of previous record, it was not possible to show trends of tourist arrivals in Chobhar. Period of data collection is quite limited due to time factor and budget constraints. All primary information obtained from tourists was collected in the month of March and April, 2006. In the absence of a hotel manager or owner, data from secondary sources might not be totally accurate. Moreover, this study deals on some selected aspects such as status of tourism in Chobhar, its development, problems and prospects.

1.6 Organization of the Study

Chapter one gives the brief introduction about tourism. It also highlights the tourism objectives of 10th five years plan. The objectives of the study, statement of the
problem and significance of the study are listed in chapter one. Chapter two deals with review of literature. It explains about Nepalese tourism attractions, problems for tourism development in Nepal, tourism promotion in Nepal, prospects of tourism in Nepal, importance of tourism in Nepal, growth of tourism in Nepal, relationship between tourism and economy, tourism and poverty, tourism and nature, tourism and biodiversity, tourism and culture, tourism and geography, tourism
and environmental conservation etc. It also deals with types of tourism along with view points of different plan periods towards tourism. There is also short literature
review related to the study area. Chapter three provides the methodology adopted for the study to be carried out.
Chapter four provides brief explanation about the study area. Chapter five tabulates, analyzes and interprets all the data collected from the study area with the help of questionnaire, interviews, field visit and observation.
Chapter six explains the impacts of tourism in study area. Further more, it analyzes the prospects and problems of tourism development in the study area.
Chapter seven summarizes the research work performed. It develops a clear view about the study in the form of conclusions and recommendations provided so as to know the prospects and problems of tourism development in Chobhar. Finally, there are references which the researcher referred while carrying out his
entire research work. There are also annexes which includes location of study area and photographs of the study area. It also includes the questionnaire used to
generate data for entire research work.