Nepal’s tourism industry has almost recovered, contributing 6.7% to gross domestic product in 2022, according to World Bank data. Last year, Nepal welcomed more than 1 million tourists, the third time in the country’s history, and data from March showed visitor numbers were up nearly 30 percent year-on-year. Most tourists come from neighboring India and China. However, according to the latest data available from Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, tourist spending remains low, with tourists spending $48 per day in 2021, compared to $48 per day in 2022. will remain at $40.50. In recent decades, Nepal has been primarily perceived as a budget backpacking destination, while neighboring Bhutan has established its brand as a luxury hotspot in the Himalayas.
But it wasn’t always like that.
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“Attractive destination”
Nepal rose to prominence on the world stage in 1953 when the Nepali-New Zealand pair Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary made the historic first ascent of Mount Everest. However, it was two years later that the first organized tour group arrived in the capital, Kathmandu. .
The country’s first luxury accommodation was the Royal Hotel, known today as the Yak & Yeti. The hotel was previously owned by the now-defunct Rana dynasty, which ruled the Himalayan kingdom for more than a century, in 1951 by Russian hotelier Boris Lissanevich, a pioneer in Nepal’s tourism industry. It opened inside the palace.
Over the following decades, Nepal witnessed the birth of some of the most successful domestic luxury brands.
A view of the courtyard of Dwarika’s Hotel, an architectural landmark and luxury hotel in Kathmandu.Photo: Handout
In the 1960s, local five-star hotels such as Hotel Annapurna and Salty opened. Over the next decade, British adventurer Jim Edwards turned the Tiger Tops in southern Nepal into one of South Asia’s pioneering high-end wildlife tourist attractions, and built businessman Dwarika Das Shrestha’s eponymous hotel, Dwarika’s. has become a landmark luxury hotel that showcases the architecture of Kathmandu.
Highly paid tourists were seduced by the mythical and mystical charm of the difficult-to-reach Himalayan country. Celebrities then appeared, from Hollywood actors Richard Gere and Keanu Reeves to singers Mick Jagger, Ricky Martin and Sting.
Lisa Chogyal, a sustainable tourism consultant with 50 years of experience in Nepal, said the country was once “an attractive destination and a fashionable place”.
“In Asia, most tourist routes have developed to cater to foreign individual travelers and then to high-end groups,” she said. “Nepal started off the other way. It was a very unusual travel pattern.”
Trekkers heading to Everest base camp with views of Nepal’s Himalayas. Photo: Getty Images A royal tour of the Annapurna foothills by Britain’s Prince Charles (now King Charles) in 1980 and a stop at the Tiger Tops by Prince Philip in 1986 cemented Nepal’s place on the world tourism map. has increased further.
In 1998, another luxury property, Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, opened along the route trekked by Prince Charles, overlooking the majestic fishtail-like Machhapucharete Mountain.
“At that time, Nepal had many different cultures. [tourism] said Chogyal, who is also the director of Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge. “That’s why I’m excited that Shinta Mani has partnered with Sherpa Hospitality to put their name on the line. Previously, we thought we could do it ourselves, but branded hotels and the marketing that comes with them It is necessary.”
reinventing luxury tourism
Perched on a hill at an altitude of approximately 2,800 meters (9,200 feet) overlooking Jomsom and facing the Nilgiri and Dhaulagiri mountains, Shinta Mani Mustang is one of the most ambitious projects launched in recent years in Nepal. With a stone façade that blends into the backdrop of barren hills, and interiors inspired by local colors and motifs, the resort pays homage to the region’s tradition and culture.
Industry insiders say a relatively stable political environment has encouraged investors to set up luxury real estate across Nepal, despite frequent changes in leadership and certain investment policies that require fine-tuning. He says he is encouraging them. They see this as a renaissance of luxury tourism in Nepal and hope to attract not only Westerners but also big spenders from India, mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore.
“We are also seeing an increase in bookings from high-end travelers,” said Vijay Amatya, CEO of Kathmandu-based Kora Tours, who has been in the industry for 48 years. “The main indicators of economic recovery are that investors are optimistic and many luxury hotels are coming to Nepal. Investors are enthusiastic seeing the prospects.”
View of Marfa village near Jomsom. Industry insiders say Nepal is experiencing a renaissance in luxury tourism.Photo: Alok Thapa
Luxury travelers visiting Nepal say they are impressed by both the breathtaking scenery and the service they receive in hard-to-reach, remote areas. Flights to places like Jomsom are highly weather dependent and many access roads are still under construction.
“It’s different here. [from] Even other places you’ve been. Bring an open mind and lots of energy,” one visitor wrote on the travel website TripAdvisor about a five-night, $9,000 stay at Mustang and Shinta Mani Mustang.
Another traveler described the experience as “luxury in the middle of nowhere.”
International luxury brands, many of which have stores on the outskirts of Kathmandu, are catering to the growing trend of ultra-luxury tourists and diversifying Nepal’s tourism industry. Tourism analysts say this will provide more alternatives to the overcrowded tours, such as treks to Everest and Annapurna base camps, that the country has been marketing for decades.
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Last year, Thailand’s Dusit International opened a luxury hotel in Dhulikhel, an ancient city on the outskirts of Nepal’s capital. This year, the Kunda Himalayan Resort and Spa, located at an altitude of 3,030 meters (9,940 feet), opens in the mountain town of Palupu, marking the expansion of India’s luxury Postcard Hotel chain to Chitwan, known for its wildlife.
Mr. Anirudh Chaudhary, Manager of Dusit Thani Himalayan Resort, Dhulikhel, said, “We recognize that competition in the luxury tourism market is the driving force for excellence and progress in Nepal’s hospitality industry.”
Friedman and Sherpa Hospitality Group launched a luxury leisure brand, Mountain Lodges of Nepal, in 2022 in an attempt to reinvent the country’s classic trekking itinerary.
Their curated 12-night Everest itinerary aims to “get people off the Everest Highway” with stays in eight luxury lodges, including a pop-up lodge at the mountain’s base camp, for around $5,900 on a twin-share basis. says the magazine. Friedman.
Katherine Heald, co-founder and CEO of Remote Lands, which specializes in luxury travel throughout Asia, believes that accommodations are key to meeting the expectations of customers who spend about $10,900 on a nine-day Nepal tour for two. He said it plays an important role. Nepal’s new luxury hotels “will gain traction among luxury consumers,” she says.
“Customers who may have gone to Bhutan without going through Nepal may make different purchasing decisions based on the quality of the products offered.”
The view from Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge, one of the luxury properties aiming to revive Nepal’s luxury tourism industry.Photo: Handout
Experts say tourists are becoming increasingly aware of their ecological footprint and the impact they have on host countries. A 2022 survey of 11,000 customers by American travel company Expedia Group found that 90% are looking for sustainable travel options.
Many luxury brands in Nepal are committed to an eco-friendly ethos. Dusit Thani promotes village tourism and local produce, while Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge supports local community forests and schools, among other initiatives.
“All markets are concerned about sustainability, not just environmental sustainability, but where tourist money is going and who is benefiting from it,” Chegyal said.
Meanwhile, Shinta Mani Mustang is investing in tours to lesser-known places such as nearby Jomsom, employing many Mustang locals, and creating a non-profit organization named after the first Nepalese woman to summit Everest. Supports the Pasang Lam Foundation. The hotel also plans to open a hospitality school in Mustang to train the next generation of hoteliers in the region.
“We create high-value jobs where none exist,” said Friedman, who prides himself on developing luxury experiential hotels in remote locations.
Dawa Sampo Gurung is from Mustang and works at Shinta Mani Mustang.Photo: Alok Thapa
Local residents like Dawa Sampo Gurung say they are seeing changes. The 21-year-old has quit his job as a waiter in Pokhara to work as a butler at Shinta Mani, an employment opportunity closer to his home in the Upper Mustang region, and for the time being a better choice than going abroad. He said that it would also be a favorable option.
“Not only does it put Mustang on the world map, but it also supports local businesses and showcases our heritage,” he said. “This will help me improve my skills and hopefully [my] Career in Hospitality. ”
In Jomsom, locals are excited about the potential for high-end tourism and the positive changes a “5-star hotel” (as they call it) might bring to the area.
“The world wants to come to Nepal,” Friedman said. “Now is the time for Nepal to seize these opportunities and the government must take some action to make tourism better.”
