Entrepreneurs from Karnali region representing travel, trekking agencies and accommodation officially announced the formation of Karnali Tourism Entrepreneurs Society with a seven member organising committee- Janga Bahadur Lama, Humla- Chairman, Tankraj Giri,Jumla- Vice Chairman, Jag Bahadur Budha, Dolpa – Secretary, Chhewang Lama, Humla- Treasurer, Sonam Lama, Humla-Vice-Secretary, Pema Lam, Huml
a-Member, Jitendra Jhakri, Dolpa – Member and three member advisory committee led by Mim Bahadur Hamal, Jigme Lama and Tenzin Norbhu Lama. KTES members are from Humla, Jumla, Mugu Kalikot and Dolpa. Our purpose is to open the region with the view to facilitate the tourism industry. During the past decade, there have been efforts from government and private sector I/NGOs to develop Karnali region as a tourist destination but the progress has been hampered due to issues such as access (flights being the only means), poor infrastructure and difficulty in general operations. In recent years three districts have been gaining in popularity, Humla district among Indians as a gateway to Mt. Kailash in Tibet, Dolpa among western trekkers and Rara among western and domestic travellers. At present the number of tourists visiting Humla is about 2500 (expected to reach 15000 + this year), Dolpa 3000 and Jumla Rara about 2000 visitors per year. It is our belief that with effective cooperation between entrepreneurs, government and development agencies these numbers will increase. If managed well, tourism in Karnali can provide a viable economic solution to enable progressive development of the region without compromising cultural and ethnic issues. The newly formed Karnali Tourism Entrepreneurs Society members believe that the society can play a key role in making this a reality. For further information on tourism in the area and the activities of Karnali Tourism Entrepreneurs Society, please contact the secretariat at Lazimpat. (Tel) 4000043
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