Tourism History of Nepal

Tourism began in Nepal after Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa of Nepal became the first climbers to conquer the main peak of Mt. Everest on May 29, 1953. Before 1951, the Rana regime was reluctant to allow foreigners to enter Nepal. In 1956, the Nepal government established the National Planning Council for Tourism to coordinate the Ministry’s activities in planning tourism development in Nepal. The tourism sector in Nepal officially began in 1959 with the establishment of the National Tourist Development Board and the launch of the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation. In the 1960s and early 1970s, hippies began to realize that Nepal was the hub to obtain large quantities of hashish and marijuana. After the government of Nepal started to take note of the situation, the sale of marijuana and hashish was outlawed in 1973, which indeed proved to be a pivotal moment for Nepal’s tourism industry. After a significant influx of Tibetan refugees into Nepal, Buddhism began to gain popularity. The Nepal Tourism Board publicly began promoting Nepal as a phenomenal holiday destination in the 1980s, as the country’s population dispersed and diversified. During the 2000s, the number of tourists visiting Nepal has significantly increased. The tourism industry in Nepal has further developed and flourished as the government and the public have become more aware of the need to conserve rustic natural resources and a serene environment.