Naturally Nepal is the tagline used by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) to promote Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY). It is hard to say whether a mere tagline with hardly any promotional activities can fulfill its ambitious plan of attracting one million foreign tourists to the country this year. Though the year opened with a bang with the campaign's promotion and big commitments made by its stakeholders, all the fizz surrounding the announcement of NTY has come to an end with less than four months remaining of the year. The campaign took off quite well but vanished in thin air. It would have been an excellent branding opportunity for Nepal and positioned it as an ultimate destination for various tourism activities such as adventure, culture, spiritual, religious and wildlife. Sadly, this has not been the case. Instead of tourists flowing to major destinations of Nepal, it seems that neither the tourists nor the tourism sector have benefited significantly by the government's so-called plan to take tourism sector to greater heights by observing NTY 2011.

It is quite sad that a campaign initiated by the government falls flat when it comes to implementation. A tourism year is supposed to be full of promotional activities but there has not been a single TV commercial (TVC) created for its advertising which is very surprising. How are potential tourists supposed to know about the various destinations and activities in Nepal? Every country and place has its own specialty such as Egypt has pyramids, Thailand has lovely beaches, Italy has romantic destinations, and so on. Similarly, Nepal specializes in picturesque natural beauty, cultural richness along with ethnic and bio-diversities that can make tourists spellbound alluring them to visit Nepal again and again.  

Nepal can learn from other Asian countries like neighboring India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand that have focused a lot on country's branding and have offered visitors with various attractive packages. They have communicated their country's story via various promotion channels and have created a niche of their own. Some popular promotions include Malaysia “Truly Asia”, Amazing Thailand etc that are being broadcast on major TV channels. India has gone even further with state branding to encourage the tourism flow to their respective states such as Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Gujarat, Orissa etc. Massive promotion budget has been spent with big celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan being brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism. Similarly, Nepal needs to narrate an anecdote of its own to let interested ones know about this beautiful country. The rich cultural heritage, the spirit of the Himalayas and the adventure tourism aspect can all be elements of the Nepal's tourism story. Even better would be branding for specific destinations such as Pokhara and Chitwan, positioning each differently to cater to the needs of tourists of all demographics. Pokhara can be promoted as the happening place with natural beauty, adventure sports such as paragliding and salubrious environment to rejuvenate and relax. Similarly, Chitwan can attract tourists for its wildlife resort, elephant safari, camel rides and Tharu ethnical cultural shows. 

It can be said that Nepal hasn't exploited its tourism potential and more importantly has not been promoted the right way. Promotion activities can be done targeting each segment of tourists by highlighting the attributes of the various exciting places of Nepal. In addition, NTY could further boost sales as special privileges could be given during this campaign. Further benefits should be given to tourists who wish to visit in the year 2011. Discount of hotel reservations, special packages on airfare and accommodation along with some freebies will no doubt attract numerous visitors. Moverover, the benefit of visiting Nepal this year as compared to other years should be communicated clearly or else it will just be like any other ordinary year.

Though some efforts have been made by the private sector, this miniscule yet encouraging act must be backed up by robust government spending as it can, apparently, generate revenue for the nation. The promotion should be done on a government level not only by the private organizations. Despite various political, economical and financial barriers faced by the country, there is still enormous scope for a naturally gifted place like ours to excel in the tourism sector. The opening ceremony of NTY was marked with huge enthusiasm and support from all sectors as even political parties vowed not to organize bandhs as it would have an adverse effect on the tourism campaign. Despite all the bottlenecks, there is still hope to revive the economy through branding of the Nation-Nepal as a visitors paradise. Being a Nepali citizen it is also our responsibility to encourage domestic tourism and spread good word about it to the world. Let's celebrate the spirit of NTY 2011!!!