In an effort to help rebuild Nepal's shattered tourism
economy, the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) plans to locate its
Adventure Week event in Nepal this year, possibly sending a group to the
earthquake-battered nation as early as this summer.
"We believe that the next six to 12 months will be very difficult for Nepal in
general and, for certain, the tourism industry,” said Shannon Stowell, ATTA
president. "So our effort will go into what we know we can deliver in
destination strengthening and business continuity/boosting, specifically
focusing on the adventure sector, which is much of Nepal's tourism sector
anyway based on its offerings."
ATTA describes previous Adventure Weeks as "destination
business boosters.” The group hand-picks a combination of tour operators,
travel agents and media to attend those trips. Past locations for Adventure
Week include Mexico’s Baja Sur, Chile, and the Balkans. ATTA selects tour
operators and travel agents with a high likelihood of selling that region in
the future.
The Nepal version of the event will be called AdventureWeek
Rebound-Nepal, and will be "a way for the industry to give in a meaningful
way for the longer haul,” Stowell said. What will be different about the Nepal
version of the event is the addition of "a few really smart industry
gurus" who are expert in tourism infrastructure, destination recovery,
international connectivity and marketing.
Stowell hopes that media personnel on the tour will report on
"where Nepal is open for business,” with the idea being “to close the
information gap and have as much business continuity as possible."
ATTA’s recent Adventure Week in Baja Sur happened to coincide
with the region’s recovery from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Odile last
fall. Luis Palacios, the director
general for Visit Baja Sur at the time of Adventure Week, said that the Nepal event
would be a boon to tourism.
“Having Adventure Week Nepal will be perfect, as the team
attending will serve as a witness to its recuperation, and through their own
eyes/lens and media tools, they will share with the world the beauty and strong
spirit of the people of Nepal, just as it happened with Baja California Sur
after the storm,” Palacios said, "Adventure Week will be perfect for Nepal
as their local tour operators will be able to create strong business synergies
and personal connections with the tour operators and media attending Adventure
Week, making it a place that they would wish to send their clients
to."
For further information on how to be involved or informed
about AdventureWeek Rebound-Nepal, email [email protected].