Nepal
established the Tourism Development Board in 1957 and the Department of Tourism
in 1959. A year before that, the then Royal Nepal Air Service Corporation was
established. In 1977, Annapurna trek route was opened. It made the Gandaki
region known to the world. Annapurna trail is still considered as one of the
most famous and best treks in the world. But due to the construction of the
motorway, its distance has been shortened.
As the conflict period in Nepal is slowly coming to the path of peace process, with the creation of a peaceful environment in the country, tourists started coming to the tourism sector. Mahabir Pun of Nagi, who started making an alternative route for tourists from village to village and planning to go around the village, made a lot of efforts after motor vehicles started running on the road leading to Mustang. Mohare-danda was also the main place of his wireless networking and as this place is a forest area, he sent his letter through the forest District Forest Office to the Regional Forest Department of Pokhara and the Ministry of Forests in Kathmandu, but he was not successful.
On the occasion of 2011, Nepal Tourism Board informed about the new footpaths and concepts that #Mahabir Pun has opened in Myagdi. Representatives of Micro Enterprise Development conducted by UNDP were also present in the program. The plan to develop this route started with the re-conversation of Laxman Pun and Mahabir Pun, the head of Micro Enterprise Development Program (MEDEP) under #UNDP on the development of this footpath.
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| Dr Laxman Pun |
It was advised to start this eco-trekking route in collaboration with 10 villages on this route and the Micro Enterprise Development Program, and it was decided to open an eco-trekking route that will be managed by the community. And MEDEP organization assigned Laxmi Buduja Magar of Khibang to manage and develop this route. This is about the end of the Maoist conflict with Government.
To develop this route, 60 percent from MEDEP organization and 40 percent from each village were spent in 2009/2010. It was decided to establish an organization called Annapurna Dhaulagiri Community Environmental Tourism Development and Promotion under the chairmanship of Mahabir Pun to manage this route in cooperation with each village and promote this route.
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| Laxmi Buduja |
The departure point of this route starts from the turning lake of Galeshor and hotels, shops and tea houses have been arranged at Banskharka, Dharakateri, Nagi, Mohredanda, Dhankharka, Tikot of Histan, Khibang, Swata, Dhankharka and Khopra.
Arrangements were made to give 20/20 sets of pillows/pillows/dunlops/sirak to all the villages on this route, and kitchen materials were also handed over to all the villages for kitchen management. For foreign and domestic tourists, the same villages themselves are managing food and accommodation in the combination of villages on this taking route.
To operate this trekking route, it was started by providing cooking training through Micro Enterprise Development Program (MEDEP), training of local guides and porters in the villages, garbage management on this route, management of wildlife and forest protection training, trekking path construction, homestay management training.
The purpose of this route is not only to bring tourists to the village but also to promote the village's food and create employment in the village. An initiative has also been taken to start with the idea that if we can manage the village's local guides and porters from the village itself, the money that comes to the village will stay in the village, so that some support can be given to the development of the village. Of course, this is an attempt to take a step on the way to make the village entrepreneurial.
In this route, arrangements are made to feed the tourists local village food produced in the village and if the tourists express their desire, cultural program will be presented in the village. It is arranged that the same villagers will take its income. Tourists are very happy after visiting this route.
Camping grounds have also been arranged at Nagi, Mohare-danda, Swata, Khopra on this route. If the tourists express their desire to stay camping, the company that sends the tourists arranges the tents.
Especially in Swat, private companies have
arranged tents. If the tourists go with their own tents, there are places where
they can stay with tents.
Initially, when operating this route, there was a fear that tourists would not come to visit - Laxmi Buduja. After the arrival of tourism, we worked to instill hope in the villagers that they can earn some money by staying in the village and working on their farms. A lot of money was spent to manage 10 villages. In the first year after it started, in 2011, a total of 17 tourists came to see the village on this route. And, the community was able to make a profit of 277,000. In 2015, 418 tourists came on this route with the data of the organization. It seems that 42 lakh 12 thousand communities get income from this.
Tourists are increasing day by day by liking this route. Now it seems that we need to commercialize it and make it more attractive to the tourists. The tenure of the MEDEP organization that came to assist and cooperate with this route has also ended.
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| सुन्तलाको गाउँ बाँसखर्क |
To trek on this route, the secretary of Annapurna Dhaulagiri Community Environmental Tourism Development and Promotion Organization, Ramche village's Chitra Bahadur Tilija Magar, after booking and paying according to the number of days of trekking, this route begins by traveling by motor from tourist hub Pokhara to Galeshwar's and then on foot. And, every three months, the organization calculates how much income the village has earned and pays the amount to the respective village.
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| Chitra Tilija Magar in Mohare-Danda |
