Student protests usually extend around campuses in Kathmandu - red circles / image by Raj Gyawali

I later read about Subina Shrestha and Dawa Steven Sherpa and my heart lightened up. Subina is a good friend who was a finalist just last week for the prestigious Rory Peck Award for her outstanding journalism in the Irrawady Delta of Myanmar. She was the first journalist to reach the area, posing as a buddhist pilgrim from Nepal.

Dawa Steven Sherpa, a fellow entrepreneur in Nepal, is making us all proud of his innovative conservationist skills, in the world arena. He is only 24, has reached three 8000+ m peaks, Mt. Everest twice, and is a beacon of light for conservation efforts in mountaineering.  He is winning awards left, right and center.

Nepal proves to me more and more regularly just how bad the country is at providing a good environment for its citizens, and how vast the differences are amongst the population in terms of education, thinking, and the understanding of priorities. The students on the streets today are proud and fierce, but I believe that their thinking is a bit clouded – the result of brainwashing with political motives dictated by politicians with ulterior motives.  They go on disrupting lives, businesses, and education in the name of change without realising that they are in fact compromising their own ingenuity, creativity and potential.

When will Nepal realise that all we have to do is sit tight, create a stable country, a stable political environment and sit tight. Fortunately we are sandwiched between China and India, they will carry us through!

Nepal is ready for you / Photo by Camilla De Moraes

Hopefully the days of nationwide insurgency are over now that the Maoists have come above ground. The Nepalese tourism industry has proved its resilience over the years by growing despite the turmoil – enough people continued to visit Nepal despite warnings.

“I think people realised that they are not safe anywhere these days.”

The 9/11 attacks, the Bali bombings, the Madrid bombing, and the London bombings, all proved to people that there are worse problems than insurgents in Nepal. They made the industry resilient. We had to learn to fend for ourselves. Traditional agents were quick to be disloyal when the advisories went sour and companies were forced to reach out to the market themselves through trade fairs, by improving their websites, and by marketing their products directly to clients. As a result many companies are now more conscious of market requirements and sustainability issues than ever before.

Sustainability

In 2006, a project on the marketing of sustainable products of Nepal by UNEP, SNV, Nepal Tourism Board and the Nepal Government got over 50 private sector operators to join the Sustainable Tourism Network. Several of them got selected for the MAST project, received training and even attended some trade shows as part of the marketing effort. It does not prove much, but does show that operators are conscious and willing to change.

Adventure sports destination

The International market is beginning to see the potential of Nepal as an adventure sports destination.  A  major international mountain biking championship recently took place in Nepal, an international kayak championship is held every year, the world’s highest marathon – The Everest Marathon, which starts at Everest Base Camp (5350m) and ends at Namche Bazaar (3440m) – is held in Nepal (the first race was won by a Nepalese trekking cook!).

If anything good came out of the insurgency it’s that the tourism industry is now more resilient and professional than ever.

Photo by socialtreks.com

This comes first hand from trying to travel to the UK right now for the World Travel Market in London, and from years travelling in the “developed” world for business.  I am a Nepalese entrepreneur trying to compete in the global travel market.  Business is about opportunities and one has to be able to pounce on them. This means the ability to quickly reach places where opportunities arise. Unfortunately, for a large part of the world travel has several hindrances, and the biggest hurdle is the visa.  You are guilty unless proven innocent and the visa official is the judge. We have to prove that we have no intent to stay or seek employment which is fine and countries are required to check but how can it be proven.  Compare the small selection of requirements listed below that I have to contend with against someone travelling from the UK, the U.S. or the EU into Asia, Africa or Latin America where an entry visa can often be purchased on arrival.

1. Are you employed? If yes, give us originals of your salary sheet for at least three months to six months and a letter of temporary leave from employment.
2. Are you self employed? prove that you have an organization. Is it legal? Give registration papers, and possibly bank statements, to prove that this is not a paper organisation.
3. Are you married? do you have children (you might consider coming back to)?
4. Who invited you to the UK? Do you have papers to prove this? Originals please, no emails or faxes! Can this organisation please prove that you will go back once the business is over? (by the way, there is not much chance that an organisation from “our” parts of the world would have enough money and zeal to actually travel on their own, without having to get an invitation)
5. Have you booked your tickets? Return please. We want to make sure you are coming back. So there is no chance that you can change your dates without spending big money, even if the opportunity arises?
6. Are you applying from your home country, or a country where you are a resident? If not, please go back there to apply. (no way you are allowed to change your itinerary)
7. Do you have enough personal savings? please give us an original of your six monthly bank statement of your personal account.

Finally, after all this preparation, you might get a visa (or you might not!).  How can WE compete in this globalised world?

Mount Everest, Nepal / Photo Camilla De Moraes

You went to college on a scholarship, graduated with honours from university, and got a top job in a blue-chip company that even your American classmates coveted. You acquired a green card that was sponsored by your company where they think you are extraordinary, and bought that family beachfront house in Malibu. It has already been six years since you received your US permanent residency, but for one reason or another you decided to keep your Nepali passport, and now it’s time to travel the world!!

You will quickly find that a Nepali passport can be a source of constant grief wherever you travel. From Tokyo to Saigon, Berlin to Istanbul, Paris to Venice, the immigration officer is going to give you a puzzled “which planet is Nepal on?” look as he or she is almost certainly unaccustomed to seeing a Nepali passport. They will cross-reference the Nepali passport against their country’s master immigration directory, scrutinize it to ensure it is not forged, cross-examine you to make certain that your visa and travel documents are, in fact, legitimate, that you are the person pictured in the passport, and that you can prove without even a shred of doubt that you will not overstay your welcome in that country.  Who can blame you for being annoyed after such an encounter? Whilst your initial reactions are likely to be anger, humiliation or both, just understand that the immigration officer is simply following protocol. Don’t take their actions personally. The inquiry is not personal, but representative of how the host country’s government feels about us Nepalis traveling to/through their country.

You will also realize that whenever you apply for a visa, you’ll need to submit a lot of paperwork, and you will probably have to spend significant time and money to have that paperwork processed. For a university visa to enter a country in the European Union it may take months just to get the necessary documents, such as a police report from a place you never lived in your country of birth, or a piece of paper that certifies you were born in the city that is listed in your passport. These papers must be submitted by the village chairman, translated, and then verified by several different government agencies.  This is a true reflection of the condition of our country. Our government’s reputation is pathetic, and even as things improve it will take a very long time before there are any positive changes to people’s perceptions in the rest of the world, and even longer for other governments to change the way they deal with Nepali passports.

Over and over again, despite the sweltering heat or the freezing snow, you will have to stand in long embassy queues with Nigerians, Sudanese, and Bangladeshis, who face the same level of scrutiny by most other countries. These are times you wished you had an American, Japanese, Swiss, or Australian passport which open so many doors with the wave of a hand.  While it’s annoying to stand in line and feel humiliated after these experiences, just try to make the best of the situation. Let the immigration officer do his or her job. After they are done, tell them where Nepal is, that it’s home to Mount Everest, that the Nepali people are extremely friendly, and that when they have their next vacation, they can see for themselves the beautiful country and people. They might not remember you, but they are bound to remember what you told them about Nepal and the Himalayas, and the next time another person passes by with a Nepali passport, they might be treated more kindly.

General tips

• Make sure your passport and visas are current, and the dates and names on the passport are correct and match those on the visa.
• Ensure that you have the proper documentation with you, such as I-20, financial affidavits, or any other necessary supporting documents.
• Don’t take the immigration officers’ actions personally. Be cognizant about the realities of the diplomatic situation between Nepal and the country you are traveling to.
• Be friendly and diplomatic. Leave a positive impression as you are the Nepali spokesperson and many a time you may be the only Nepali person they are going to meet in their lifetime.