NASA team on Everest Base Camp Trekking, NASA group, nasa 2009, NASA team member

Nepal News Updated (Nepal Tourism Board)

An Unofficial Team of NASA on Everest Base Camp Trekking with Samrat Tours & Treks
NATTA Regional Association AGM and Election Program 2010
NATTA Meets Comrade Prachanda; urged to impede strikes.
NATTA AGM and Election 2010
Interaction on 'Nepal Tourism Year' organised
Official launching of NTY- 2011 on February 26, 2010
Slight growth in tourist arrival in 2009
International Dhaulagiri Expedition Autumn 2010
Nepal offers more holiday options to Western Indian tourists
Indian tourists flock to Muktinath
Latest News @ PATA
Garbage mgmt major challenge in Everest region
Five members of FIWSE climb Everest

An Unofficial Team of NASA on Everest Base Camp Trekking with Samrat Tours & Treks

KATHMANDU: A team of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration officials today arrived in Kathmandu on a visit to the Everest region.

Talking to The Himalayan Times, the team members said they would contribute to the research activities of the NASA. They, however, said their trip was not official.

NASA Orion Landing System Integration Manager and leader of the expedition, Chris J Johnson and said there were doctors, pilots and scientists in the team of 11 NASA officials.

Steve Vander Ark, Section Manager, Behavioral Health and Performance Group, NASA, said NASA scientist Jake Maule and he wanted to do some serious research to help the astronauts.

Equipped with the Actiwatch and Lab-On-a-Chip Application DevelopmentPortable Test System, the team members would record the sleeping and waking movements and light exposure of the subjects, Steve said, adding that the Lab-On-a-Chip, which detects bacteria and fungi on surfaces inside the International Space Station, will be used to look for snow algae.

"We will meet former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski at the base camp," Chris said, adding that Scott will conquer the Everest soon.

If his attempt is successful, he'll become the first person ever to have gazed up at space from the pinnacle of Earth's tallest mountain, and gazed down on that same pinnacle from the black vacuum of space.

Chris said the team chose Nepali mountains to trek as Nepal has been known as the best tourist destination in the world. Chris said he, along with a few friends, were also on a NASA's unofficial Everest expedition last year.

Steve said trekking to the base camp will be comparable in some ways to what astro nauts face while engaging in a long spacewalk or an excursion on the surface of the moon or Mars. Mt Everest provides a good space analog, he added.

Maule said the team's re search would benefit future space travellers. The outcomes of the research would aid future research projects of the NASA, he said.

According to him, their research could help scientists develop efficient procedures for future field studies on moon and Mars.

Jean-Loup Chretien, the first Frenchman and western European in space, said he was excited to see the Nepali mountains. International Mission Specialist Chretien said he spent one-and-a- half month in space. "I am eager to be in the Everest region to compare the mountain walk with the spacewalk."

The 25-member-team has Michelle Christgen, Judson Frieling, Lesley Lee, John McBrine, Steve, Jake, Crish, Patricj Thompson, Christine Worstel, Erin Tashner and Jams Johnson from NASA.

The team also collected more than 1500 US dollars to support the Prisoners Assistance Nepal, Chris said. "We also want to help the needy people in Nepal," he added.

The team will leave for Lukla on Monday and is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on May 2, said Ram Sapkota, manager, Samrat Tours and Travels. NASA Astronaut Trainer and Flight Controller Sabrina Gilmore is the trip coordinator.

NATTA Regional Association AGM and Election Program 2010

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The 15 th Annual General Meeting of NATTA Regional Association Pokhara was held on 16 th Jan 2010 at Hotel Barahi, Pokhara. The Chief Guest for the convention was Mr. Arjun Prasad Sharma, President NATTA. The whole team of newly elected Executive Board of NATTA from Kathmandu attended the AGM at Pokhara. Mr. Sharma was honored by Regional Association President Mr. Pasupati Sharma.

The Conventional was followed by AGM and Election. Mr. Om Pandey was as new president for NATTA Regional Association form Pokhara.

NATTA Meets Comrade Prachanda; urged to impede strikes.

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NATTA Executive Board Met Comrade Prachanda on 14 th Jan 2010 at his resident, 6 days after their victory on NATTA Election. The delegation urged Comrade Prachanda to stop the Strikes and also put forward several other agendas like Nepal Tourism Year 2011 and Adding fleet to Nepal Airlines etc. On the meeting, Comrade Prachanda articulated his party s commitment toward Peace and Prosperous Tourism Industry.

NATTA AGM and Election 2010

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The NATTA AGM and Election was held on 8 th Jan 2010 at The Everest Hotel. The AGM was attended by more than 370 members. The AGM was followed by the Award ceremony where the prestigious NATTA Sagarmatha Award was awarded to Ms. Elizabeth Howly. Similarly, NATTA Bhaskar award was awarded to Late. Prayag man Singh Pradhan, founder of Everest Travel Service.

The newly setup, NATTA Journalism award was awarded individually to Ms. Eliza Tuladhar, The Himalayan Times and to Ms. Kopila Adhikari, Avenues TV. Same award was awarded to Sagarmatha Television, institutionally.

The Election of NATTA was held on same day and came up with new Executive Board as follows:

Mr. Arjun P. Sharma - President
Mr. Pavitra Kumar Karki - First Vice President
Mr. Sarbottam Lal Shrestha - Second Vice President
Mr. Madhu sudan Acharya - Secretary General
Mr. C.N Pandey - Treasurer
Mr. Achyut Sharma Guragain - Secretary
Mr. Anangam Timalsena - Executive Member
Mr. Bibek Vijayananda - Executive Member
Mr. D.K Sharma - Executive Member
Ms. Jiswan Tuladhar - Executive Member
Mr. Nabaraj Sapkota - Executive Member
Mr. Sudhir Upadhaya - Executive Member

Interaction on 'Nepal Tourism Year' organised

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Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) on December 28 organised an interaction with media representatives in a bid to seek suggestions for the successful hosting of Nepal Tourism Year-2011.

Speaking at the interaction, chief executive officer of the NTB Prachanda Man Shrestha stressed the need to celebrate the campaign to draw international attention towards the event. "We couldn't get much international recognition while celebrating the Visit Nepal Year in 1998 because we couldn't do anything special for the visitors. But this time we want to add something special in the campaign," he said.

The media representatives suggested the NTB to make necessary preparations on infrastructure development and enhancing the quality of tourism products and services. They also laid emphasis on increasing air connectivity to bring in more visitors to the country. NATURALLY NEPAL - once is not enough

Official launching of NTY- 2011 on February 26, 2010

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Official launching of The Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011 is scheduled for February 26 at Tundikhel, Kathmandu. Under the programme, a peace torch will be taken from Lumbini to Kathmandu.

Slight growth in tourist arrival in 2009
Total tourist arrival in the country via air in 2009 recorded a marginal growth of 1.1 percent over the arrival figure of 2008. According to Nepal Tourism Board, a total of 378,12 visited Nepal in 2009, up from 374,661 recorded in 2008.

Issuing a press statement, NTB said the year ended with positive notes in the sense that arrivals from China witnessed an encouraging surge. Arrivals from China increased by a whopping 51.4 percent in December. Visitors from other Asian countries excluding the SAARC countries also increased. According to NTB, tourist arrivals from South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand registered a growth of 25.1 percent, 7.8 percent, 22 percent and 26.5 percent respectively.

The aggregate tourist arrival from Asian segment, other than South Asia, registered a growth of 19.4 percent in December and 10.1 percent in 2009.

Arrivals from Pakistan grew by 8.2 percent but the arrivals from India and Sri Lanka declined by 5 percent and 31.5 percent respectively in December. Likewise, arrivals from European countries registered an overall growth of 10.1 percent in December and 4.5 percent in the year 2009. Visitors from UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria also saw a growth. However, arrivals from Spain, Denmark and Norway posted a marginal decline.

According to NTB, over 75,058 trekkers visited Annapurna region in 2009 while 1,769 trekkers visited the Manaslu region.

International Dhaulagiri Expedition Autumn 2010

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Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the First ascent of
Mount Dhaulagiri 2010

Mount Dhaulagiri (8167m.) was first climbed by the Swiss in 1960. Its name is derived from Sanskrit " Dhavala means" means "White" and girl is "Mountain" The mountain was sighted by British surveyors in India in the early 1800s and was mapped by one of the secret Indian surveyors, the pundits, in 1873, but the region remained largely unknown until a Swiss aerial survey in 1949.

The French mount Annapurna expedition in 1950 had permission to climb either Annapurna or Dhaulagiri but decided on Annapurna after a reconnaissance of Dhaulagiri . A Swiss party failed in 1953 as did an Argentine group one year later.

After four more expeditions had failed, eight members of a Swiss expedition reached the summit in 1960. The climb followed a circuitous route around the mountain from Tukuche, over Dhampus pass

As French Col, to approach the summit from the North-East Col., The expedition was supplied by a Swiss Pilatus Porter aircraft, the "Yeti" which landed on the North-East Col at 5977m. Near the end of the expedition the plane crashed near Dhampus pass and the pilots, including the famous Emil Wick, walked down the mountain to Tukuche.

Tragedy struck in 1969 when an avalanche killed seven members of a US expedition on the East Dhaulagiri Glacier. The peak was climbed by the Japanese in 1970s, the Americans in 1973 and the Italians in 1976. Captain Emil Wick airdropped supplies to the US expedition from a Pilatus Porter aircrafts. Among the delicacies he dropped were two bottles of wine and a live chicken. The Sherpas would not allow the chicken to be killed on the mountain, so it became the expedition pet. It was carried, snow-blind and crippled with frostbitten feet, to Marpha, where it finally ended up in the cooking pot. Click for International Dhaulagiri Expedition Autumn 2010.

Nepal offers more holiday options to Western Indian tourists

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'As a part of the campaign strategy, Nepal Tourism Board has categorized the various packages especially bearing in mind the need of tourists from Western India into three broad products and they are Weekend Breaks, Adventure Holidays and Lifetime Experiences,' reads a press release issued by NTB. NTB hopes that this participation is expected to give a tremendous boost to the tourists, especially from Western India. 'The campaign will be supported by travel agents from the region, who will customize travel packages with appropriate rates to suit ones interest and schedule their travel plans and holidays in Nepal,' the release reads.

Nepal is well connected with India with flight frequency of over 50 direct flights a week served by Nepal Airlines, Air India, Cosmic Air, Jet Lite,, Jet Airways and Druk Air.
Along with NTB, Explore Himalaya Travel and Adventure; Explore Kailash Treks; Fishtail Tours & Travels; Richa Tours; Samrat Tours & Travels, Treks & Expedition; Satyam Tours and Travels; Sunny Travels & Treks and The Everest Hotel participated in the fairs.

Dear Friends,
Greetings from Samrat Tours & Tarvels Nepal !!!!!

We thanks to all of you for visiting our stall at TTF 2010 and for the support you have given us. We assure you our best services at all times.

With best Regards,
Samrat Family

Indian tourists flock to Muktinath Top^

At least 5,000 Indian tourists visited the temple since the middle of March last year, a staff at the Muktinath Area Development Committee, Rudra Nath Sharma Poudel said. Their visits had dwindled during the conflict, he added. A pilot with Manang Air, Sarina Gurung said as many as five flights were made now-a-days to Muktinath when weather remains fine. Most of the flight passengers are from India and each flight carries two-dozen passengers, she added. Normally, it takes 35 minutes in a helicopter to reach Muktinath from Pokhara. Gurung underlined the need for greater publicity for Muktinath abroad. In addition to Manang Air, Sri Air is also making charter flights to Muktinath. Its helicopters make four to five flights a day. The helicopter returns from the temple with the same passengers after a gap of an hour, allowed for visit to the temple. However, a hotelier at Ranipauwa bazaar near the temple, Laxmi Tulachan says that business is not good even after surge in the number of Indian tourists. They return by the same flight without strolling around, Tulachan who is also the owner of Hotel Muktinath, says. Muktinath temple lies on the bank of Gandaki river in Muktinath village development committee, 26 km east of Mustang district headquarters, Jomsom. Muktinath is reachable on foot from Pokhara through Myagdi district headquarters in Beni or through Tatopani of Myagdi's tourist area in Ghorepani. Visitors to Muktinath on regular flights include only a few as it is difficult to buy air tickets, head at Jomsom airport Rajan Pokhrel said. Some Indian visitors choose to travel by road. Beni-Jomsom road is under construction at Mustang and Myagdi districts which has made it convenient for pilgrims to visit Muktinath, said president of the Jeep Entrepreneurs' Committee Jayendra Thakali. Jeeps and motorcycles ply on the finished section of the road which has eased the trip. A housewife from Bangalore, Sudha Shankar said it was great to visit a place like Muktinath. The place is sce-nic and panoramic, she said. A shopkeeper at Ranipauwa near the temple, Rangaraj Shastri said most Indian visitors come from South India. There are more visitors during Dashain and Janai Purnima, he added. According to Poudel, the temple receives 35,000 visitors annually, out of which 10 per cent come from India.

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Garbage mgmt major challenge in Everest region

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The fourth meeting of Sagarmatha Tourism Coordination Forum (STCF) under the Sagarmatha National Park Buffer Zone Management Committee (SNPBZMC) concluded in Kathmandu on January 18.

Inaugurating the meeting, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Deepak Bohora said garbage management was the big challenge for tourism in the Sagarmatha National Park. “To preserve our mountain ecology, I have proposed the government to conduct a march with the theme of ‘Save the Himalayas' all the way to New York to draw the attention of world community towards the preservation of mountain ecology,” Bohora added. He also said the government was mulling over a proposal to reward expedition teams on Mt Everest and other Himalayan peaks on the basis of garbage that they bring down with them.

Speaking on the occasion, Sonam Gyaljen Sherpa, president of STCF, said toursm infrastructure development in the Khumbu region has to be carried out under close coordination with concerned stakeholders. “The main challenging part is to make a proper policy in sharing revenue generated from the Himalayas. The policy should clearly state who should get what and by performing what responsibility,” he added. He also regretted that people in the Himalayan region were getting only a nominal share of revenue generated from the Himalayas, despite facing environment degradation and other impacts due to increasing pressure in the Himalayas.

TAAN President Sitaram Sapkota suggested implementing a provision of taking a single liaison officer instead of many liaison officers from different agencies to facilitate varied activities in the Himalayas. He also said TAAN was committed to spend revenue generated from Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) for the welfare of trekking and mountaineering staff and development and promotion of tourism activities.

Also speaking on the occasion were Constituent Assembly member Ang Dawa Sherpa, Tourism Secretary Nagendra Prasad Ghimire, Director General of Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation Gopal Upadhyaya and NTB CEO Prachanda Man Shrestha.

On the occasion, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA), Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) and Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) made presentations on their respective activities in the Himalayan region. TAAN 1st Vice President Bachhu Narayan Shrestha made a presentation on responsible mountain tourism in Sagarmatha Region and former TAAN President Deepak Mahat made a presentation on adventure tourism.

The meeting came up with a 15-point resolution on promotion of responsible tourism in the mountain region, exerting minimum possible pressure in mountain culture and ecology.

Five members of FIWSE climb Everest

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Five members of the First Inclusive Women Sagarmatha Expedition (FIWSE) reached the summit of Mt. Everest on May 22, 2008. This is the first time that more than two Nepalese women reached the summit of the tallest mountain in earth.
According to a press statement released by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, team leader Ms. Susmita Maskey, Ms. Maya Gurung, Ms. Nwang Phuti Sherpa, Ms. Pemba Diki Sherpa and Ms. Poojan Acharya reached the summit along with five high altitude Sherpas: Pemba Dorjee Sherpa, Kaji Shrpa, Phurba Tenzing Sherpa, Ang Gelu Sherpa and Karma Gyalje Sherpa.
The 10-member women expedition was the first of its kind in Nepal as it aimed to put ten women from different cultural backgrounds to the summit of Mt. Everest. The government had waived climbing permit fee for the expedition and had also granted financial assistance of Nrs. 1 million. The expedition team was also supported by World Food Programme, United Nations Development Programme and number of private companies.