Nepal is one of the cheapest destinations to visit in the world, according to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) last week.
The report placed Nepal in 15th position – among 140 countries – in terms of price competitiveness, behind countries like Iran, Egypt, Kazakhstan and India. Nepal trails behind India (34th) and Sri Lanka (77th) in terms of travel and tourism competitiveness in South Asia.
Nepal has also been ranked 91st in terms of safety and security, according to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index that has stated that Nepal lagged behind when it comes to air quality and ground infrastructure. “Nepal ranked 134th in terms of environmental sustainability, 131st on ground and port infrastructure, and 126th on tourism service infrastructure.”
The WEF report also revealed that South Asia ranks low on infrastructure, with underdeveloped tourist service infrastructure representing its greatest relative disadvantage, apart from low information and communications technology readiness, international openness, safety and security, and health and hygiene.
The report – published by the Switzerland-based WEF every two years – has ranked the 140 economies in four sub-indexes: enabling environment, travel and tourism policy and enabling conditions, infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources. “Together, these four sub-indexes include a total of 14 pillars, which are used to score a country's overall travel and tourism competitiveness,” it reads, adding that the top five performers in the world are Spain, France, Germany, Japan and the US.
Price competitiveness – the only category in which Nepal performed better – is measured by comparing costs relating to airfare ticket taxes and airport charges, which can make flight tickets much more expensive; the relative cost of hotel accommodation; the cost of living, proxied by purchasing power parity; and fuel price costs, which directly influence the cost of travel.
Though, there has been a debate on either to make Nepal a cheaper destination or not, the country is observing Visit Nepal Year 2020 aiming at welcoming 2 million tourists in a year. Last year Nepal received some 1.17 million foreign visitors, though their spending plummeted to a seven-year low as Nepal has been increasingly sold as a budget destination also due to the influence of platforms like Aand Oyo, online marketplaces for arranging lodging services that match budget-minded travelers.
According to the Tourism Ministry, the average spending per tourist per day has dropped to $44 last year, the lowest in seven years. “The average spending stood at $54 per day in 2017,” the data revealed, adding that in 2003 – even during the height of the Maoist insurgency – per day spending of tourists was at a record $79.1.
However, the travel tourism entrepreneurs claim that the increasing online payment system in Nepal’s hospitality industry made it difficult for the government to find out the real revenue earned.
The report placed Nepal in 15th position – among 140 countries – in terms of price competitiveness, behind countries like Iran, Egypt, Kazakhstan and India. Nepal trails behind India (34th) and Sri Lanka (77th) in terms of travel and tourism competitiveness in South Asia.
Nepal has also been ranked 91st in terms of safety and security, according to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index that has stated that Nepal lagged behind when it comes to air quality and ground infrastructure. “Nepal ranked 134th in terms of environmental sustainability, 131st on ground and port infrastructure, and 126th on tourism service infrastructure.”
The WEF report also revealed that South Asia ranks low on infrastructure, with underdeveloped tourist service infrastructure representing its greatest relative disadvantage, apart from low information and communications technology readiness, international openness, safety and security, and health and hygiene.
The report – published by the Switzerland-based WEF every two years – has ranked the 140 economies in four sub-indexes: enabling environment, travel and tourism policy and enabling conditions, infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources. “Together, these four sub-indexes include a total of 14 pillars, which are used to score a country's overall travel and tourism competitiveness,” it reads, adding that the top five performers in the world are Spain, France, Germany, Japan and the US.
Price competitiveness – the only category in which Nepal performed better – is measured by comparing costs relating to airfare ticket taxes and airport charges, which can make flight tickets much more expensive; the relative cost of hotel accommodation; the cost of living, proxied by purchasing power parity; and fuel price costs, which directly influence the cost of travel.
Though, there has been a debate on either to make Nepal a cheaper destination or not, the country is observing Visit Nepal Year 2020 aiming at welcoming 2 million tourists in a year. Last year Nepal received some 1.17 million foreign visitors, though their spending plummeted to a seven-year low as Nepal has been increasingly sold as a budget destination also due to the influence of platforms like Aand Oyo, online marketplaces for arranging lodging services that match budget-minded travelers.
According to the Tourism Ministry, the average spending per tourist per day has dropped to $44 last year, the lowest in seven years. “The average spending stood at $54 per day in 2017,” the data revealed, adding that in 2003 – even during the height of the Maoist insurgency – per day spending of tourists was at a record $79.1.
However, the travel tourism entrepreneurs claim that the increasing online payment system in Nepal’s hospitality industry made it difficult for the government to find out the real revenue earned.
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