Nepal Tourism Mart 2020 in September

House of Rajkarnicar is organising Nepal Travellers Mart 2020 on September 17-19 at Bhrikuti Mandap in Kathmandu as a way to keep the spirit of Visit Nepal Year 2020 (VNY2020) alive and also as way to offer a strategic solution to the devastation of inbound tourism of Nepal caused by the Covid-19 pandemic through-out the entire world.
It is time the Nepal travel industry recognise the potential of Nepali travellers and begin to cultivate the domestic travel market through targeted marketing and product development, it said in a press note issued here today. “Nepali tourists and travellers offer a better potential to Nepal’s tourism industry than it is ready to acknowledge or act upon lately,” the press note reads, adding that Nepali travellers estimated to be 4 to 5 times more than foreign travellers …. growing faster than foreign travelers. “Nepali travellers contribute to 54 per cent of Nepal’s international air traffic …… make up 65 per cent of yearly tourism revenue, if the statistics cannot be trusted, one can feel the overwhelming presence of domestic tourists anywhere one goes in Nepal ………….airports and airplanes, bus terminals and coaches, hotels and lodges, bars and restaurants, Lumbini Peace Garden, bungy jump line, trekking, rafting, para-gliding, mountain biking and motor-biking.”
Likewise, one can spot Nepalis travelling to every part of the world ….from the temples of India, beaches of Bali, shopping in Thailand to American theme parks, it adds.
Nepal as a tourism market has been neglected or forgotten for a very long time. Tourism infrastructure like airports, aircrafts, roads and other facilities have always been planned and developed keeping the foreign tourists and travellers in mind. “It is time the Nepal’s tourism industry stop taking Nepalis for granted and start offering holidays and hospitality tailored to Nepalis preferences,” the press note reads, adding that it is time to knock on the doors of Nepali homes and businesses expand Nepali tourism sector. “Nepal Travellers Mart 2020 will be a good starting point to market and cater to no-longer obscure Nepali traveler.”
The NTM 2020 expects to usher in about 50,000 Nepalis and expatriates, which would include Nepali holiday-makers and travellers, tour operators, travel agents, corporate and institutional travel managers, event managers, school tour mangers, tour guides and trekking guides. The Mart will attempt to draw in consumers, who are actively looking for destinations, holidays, leisure activities, hotels and air, coach tickets for the coming Dashain and winter holidays. “Dashain holidays and the school winter break during December-January is the peak season for the Nepali holiday-makers,” it reads, adding that while the event is primarily a consumer event, travel buyers from Nepal and regional travel agents including India, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore are also expected to visit the show in significant numbers.
The NTM 2020 is expected to host about 200 exhibitors, with 7 Pradhesh Pavilions and a one-of-a-kind Tourism Poster Show, which will house  travel destinations, pradhesh tourism authorities, hotels, resorts, tea-houses, home-stays, spa and wellness centers, restaurants and bars, cafes and pubs, pilgrimage sites, heritage sites, national parks, theme  parks, travel agents, tour operators, trekking agencies, rafting agencies, jungle safari and expedition operators, overland motor-cycles mountain biking operators, extreme sports operators, paragliding operators, zip-wire operators, coach and car hire, outdoor adventure gear and sports, mountain bikes, overland vehicles.
The Mart is also expected to feature eight interactive live events including Outdoor Cuisine Show, Travel Film Festival, Rock-climbing Trials, Children Zip-wire Trials, Travel Instagram Challenge, Travel Selfie Contest, Adventure Sports Workshops and Travel Guff Hour. The Mart shall also organise cultural attractions to engage and entertain Nepali travel enthusiasts and business buyers.
The NTM 2020 clearly defines and demonstrates the power of live marketing.

Nepal ranks lowest in Trade Barrier Index

Nepal has lots of barriers to the trade putting it at the lowest rank, according to a global report.
Nepal ranks in 81st position among the 86 countries globally and 11th among the 14 in the region, according to the Trade Barrier Index 2019. Nepal scores lowest in the non-tariff measures (with 1.4) – among the four pillars – whereas scores highest in facilitation (7.14), followed by services (with 6.31), and tariff (with 5.81), according to the report. “Nepal scores 5.17 – half the regional average score that stands at 11 – in the Trade Barrier Index 2019.”
The 2019 global index ranks 86 countries on their use of trade barriers affecting 94 per cent of world’s GDP, 84 per cent of the world’s people, and 91 per cent of traded goods.
Released by the Property Rights Alliance in partnership with the Mackenzie Center for Economic Freedom, the world’s first International Trade Barrier Index ranks 86 countries on their use of the most the direct barriers to trade: tariffs, non-tariff measures, and services restrictions, as well as their ability to facilitate trade. It was created as a response to rising trade tensions across the world that have resulted in lower growth rates, reduced trade forecasts, and an increase in trade restrictions. These conflicts create uncertainty and overlook the real issues that disrupt global commerce.
China and India are the world worst abusers of trade barriers, according to the report. “Each have extremely high tariffs and a large number of tariff lines compared to the rest of the world,” it reads, adding that India leads in restrictions on services that prevent foreign professionals and businesses from operating in the country. “While China leads the world in use of non-tariff measures.”
Hong Kong and Singapore are completely tariff free. Hong Kong is second as Singapore is a member of more trade agreements. However, with open and unfettered trade citizens of Hong Kong are accustomed to the free-exchange of ideas. Recent NTMs raised by Beijing to require licenses for imported published material have added to the friction between the two regions.
When barriers are removed it is harder for special interests to become entrenched in political processes. Correlations with the TBI demonstrate a clear relationship between free-trade and the ability of countries to achieve greater levels of freedom and prosperity.

Trade costs of non-tariff measures now more than double that of tariffs: UN report

While applied tariffs in the Asia-Pacific region have halved over the past two decades, the number of non-tariff measures (NTMs) – policy regulations other than tariffs affecting international trade – has risen significantly, according to a new report launched today by the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2019 (APTIR) finds that NTMs are now affecting around 58 per cent of trade in Asia and the Pacific. One reason for the rise of NTMs is their growing popularity as weapons of trade policy in regional and global trade tensions. This can include government procurement limitations, subsidies to export and import restrictions as well as import and export bans through unilateral or multilateral sanctions. Meeting these complex and often opaque rules can require significant resources, affecting in particular small and medium-sized enterprises.
However, the report also notes that NTMs as policy instruments can often be legitimate. Most of the NTMs are technical regulations, such as sanitary and phytosanitary requirements on food. The average cost of these measures alone amounts to 1.6 per cent of gross domestic product, roughly $1.4 trillion globally. But they also serve important purposes such as protection of human health or the environment; and can even boost trade under certain conditions.
“While trade costs associated with NTMs are estimated to be more than double that of tariffs, NTMs often serve important public policy objectives linked to sustainable development,” said UN under-secretary-general and executive secretary of ESCAP Armida Alisjahbana.
“The key is to ensure they are designed and implemented effectively so that costs are minimized,” she added.
“The key is to ensure that while public policy objectives and further, Sustainable Development Goals are met, traders are not unnecessarily burdened and trade costs are minimised,” said secretary-general of UNCTAD Mukhisa Kituyi.
While costly to traders, failure to have essential technical NTMs in place or their poor implementation may have serious detrimental impacts on sustainable development. For example, the report refers to the lack of NTMs covering illegal fishing and timber trade in many Asia-Pacific economies. It also points to the high economic costs for the region associated with the African swine fever epidemic, which can be linked to deficient implementation of NTMs. At the same time, new regulations on trade in plastic waste arising from amendment to the Basel Convention are promising.
NTMs are often very different between countries, making it difficult for firms to move goods from one country to another. Regulatory cooperation at the regional and multilateral level and the use of international standards when designing or updating NTMs is therefore important in overcoming challenges related to the heterogeneity of regulations.
Looking ahead, the report also highlights that trade costs of NTMs can be significantly reduced by moving to paperless trade and cross-border electronic exchange of information. This could lower costs by 25 per cent on average in the region, generating savings for both governments and traders of over $600 billion annually.
The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report is published biennially to provide insights into the impacts of recent and emerging developments in trade and foreign direct investment on countries’ abilities to meet the challenges of achieving sustainable development. The 2019 Report was prepared by ESCAP in collaboration with UNCTAD.

Better access to G20 markets could boost exports from poorest countries by 15 per cent

The world’s poorest countries are barely engaging in the global economy, but fully liberalising trade for these countries into G20 markets could boost their exports by about 15 per cent, according to an UNCTAD report released today.
While least developed countries (LDCs) account for about 12 per cent of the world’s population, their share in global exports stands at about 1 per cent, the report – Key Indicators and Trends in Trade Policy 2016 – notes.
Boosting exports from LDCs could help accelerate economic growth, generate jobs, and provide financial resources for sustainable and inclusive development.
Recognising the importance of trade for LDCs, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) include Target 17.11 to 'Increase significantly the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developing countries’ share of global exports by 2020”.
“We've seen some progress in the last decade, but the participation of least developing countries in the global economy remains marginal,” says director of UNCTAD's Division on International Trade in goods and services and Commodities Guillermo Valles.
"To double the LDC share of global exports – and achieve the SDG target – the trick will be not just to fix the issue of tariffs but to do the non-tariff measures too," he added.
The report finds that LDCs generally trade much less than the size of their economies would suggest. The export-to-GDP ratios of the 48 LDCs are on average about 25 per cent, substantially less than the average for other developing countries of about 35 per cent.
"This indicator has been on a clear downward trend since 2011 and it shows the LDC struggle to integrate into the global economy," Valles said.
Generally speaking, G20 countries support LDCs through a range of mechanisms to facilitate trade, such as duty-free and quota-free access. But removing all tariffs could boost LDC exports to G20 countries by about $10 billion per year.
Similarly, reducing the distortionary effects of non-tariff measures (NTMs) could boost LDC exports by about $23 billion per year. But this requires a more complex approach. NTMs such as quality standards serve public policy objectives and cannot be removed without disrupting these objectives.
Therefore, the report says, reducing the distortionary effects of NTMs comes not from removing them, but from helping LDCs to comply.
“Taken together, fully liberalising market access for LDCs and eliminating the negative trade effect of NTMs on LDCs would increase their exports by about 15 per cent,” the report notes.
The textile and apparel sectors – as well as some agricultural categories – would benefit most, it adds.

National sector export strategies and NTM survey on cards

Ministry of Commerce(MoC) and International Trade Centre (ITC), Geneva are working jointly to develop Sector Export Strategy(SES) of 4 products and conduct a large-scale survey on exporters’ experiences with Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) in Nepal and destination markets. These products have been selected from the Trade Policy 2016 and Nepal Trade Integration Strategy NTIS 2016.
The ITC team accompanied with the focal point Mina Aryal from the ministry and the two navigators Dr Pradyumna Pandey from Ministry of Agriculture Development and Bimal Nepal from Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC) presented the preliminary results of the sector consultations and NTM Business Survey today.
While chairing the programme, officiating secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Toya Narayan Gyawali said that development of Sector Export Strategy and survey on Non-Tariff Measures are in line the trade policy 2016 and these initiatives are instrumental to enhance Nepal trade capacity building and competitive strength which have positive impact in socio-economic prospects of Nepal.
To develop export strategy in a participatory way, 4 stakeholders consultations were already conducted as part of the first phase of the SES design process between June 20 and June 30 in different regions including Jhapa for large cardamom, Ilam for tea, Pokhara for coffee and Kathmandu for handmade paper and paper products. The stakeholder consultations in the districts were managed by the Trade Export Promotion Centre in close coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture Development. Some 120 representatives from various government agencies, private sector and development partners took part in the different consultations.
The consultation meetings presented the stakeholders with an overview of the strategy design process, analysis of the sector specifics, including production, international market dynamics, and markets requirements. It also initiated discussions on the major issues to be addressed as well as define core teams to work for the second phase of the strategy design process. The results of the in-depth participative diagnostic will serve to develop the national export strategies documents and to design detailed plan of actions for the next five years.
The consultation identified some key critical export constraints concerning supplies capacities and the business environment. They also discussed on market entry issues like non-tariff and para-tariff measures' barriers.
The discussions have helped build consensus around the opportunities and challenges of the private sector, as well as the public sector support services. "We have discussed at length our respective constraints to export large cardamom and identify new opportunities to develop our sector," said Nirmal Bhattarai from Large Cardamoms Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal during consultation in Birtamod. "We are looking forward the core team meeting to develop the plan of action with ITC assistance," he added.
Similarly, president of Nepal Handmade Paper Association Mohan Khrishna Manandhar, on the occasion, said the consultation had helped build momentum for concerted action. "The interactions between the various actors of the public and private sectors helped build agreement on common challenges and need for a national sector strategy to develop the handmade paper sector," he added.
The second initiative, the NTM Business Survey has interviewed over 350 Nepali exporters on the difficulties they face with regulatory and procedural obstacles to trade. Initial findings of the survey show that SPS/TBT requirements of destination markets and the related conformity assessment requirements like testing and certification are the main concerns of companies – especially those exporting agricultural products. Lack of adequate testing and certification facilities in Nepal has made exporting difficult for companies due to higher cost and additional time required for testing abroad, the participants noted. The NTM business survey will continue until August with a target of covering 600 companies. The survey results will feed into the SES development process.
The SES document will be a common principle document for public and private sector. Product specific market constraints related to export to India expressed during the consultations were been transmitted to the MoC to incorporate in the agenda of the recent bilateral meetings between Nepal and India at the secretary level," according to focal person and under-secretary at the Ministry of Commerce Mina Aryal.
The SES design process will produce a set of four endorsed, coherent and comprehensive documents that will serve as action-oriented blueprints for enhancing trade performance in each sector.
The ITC is the joint agency of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the United Nations (UN). The ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing and transition economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade (AfT) agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).