Travelore News: UNESCO World Heritage Monuments Of Kathmandu Valley Reopen For Tourists

KATHMANDU, Nepal - The UNESCO World Heritage Monuments of the Kathmandu Valley here reopened for tourists after the 24/5 earthquake that partially damaged these centuries-old palaces and temples. Reopening of these monuments is a march forward in a series of steps towards tourism recovery, to welcome tourists back to areas of their prime interest. Access is restricted in certain areas of the heritage sites to ensure safety precautionary measures and to preserve valuable arts and artifacts there.

The heritage sites around Kathmandu Valley are symbols of Nepal’s history, architecture and culture. Tourism entrepreneurs are positive that reopening of the UNESCO Monuments in Kathmandu Valley will disseminate positive message to the world that Nepal is back to business and is awaiting to welcome tourists. Heritage sites of the Kathmandu Valley are a part of day-to-day life of its people. Rituals, tradition, festivals and culture starting from birth to death are centered around these places. Therefore, these sites are living museums signifying the essence of life in Kathmandu Valley, as it has been through centuries.

Out of 75 districts of Nepal, only 11 districts were hit by the earthquake. Chitwan, Pokhara, Lumbini, Bardia, Annapurna, Everest, eastern region and far west region of Nepal also escaped damage, and are ready for business. Among the 19 protected areas only 3 are affected. More than ninety percent of hotels and restaurants in Kathmandu Valley are in operation. Life in the valley and in other parts of the country is getting back to normal at a fast rate, with recovery and reconstruction efforts underway at affected areas.

Tourism is one of the mainstays of Nepal’s economy, and Nepal will certainly need the income that tourism brings in as it attempts to recover from this disaster and to keep jobs running. Nepal is, indeed, back to business.

Quake-Hit Nepal Reopens Damaged Heritage Sites For Tourists

Tourist photographs a damaged building near Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal

BHAKTAPUR, Nepal (AP) — Nepal on Monday reopened most of the cultural heritage sites that were damaged in a pair of devastating earthquakes, hoping to lure back foreign tourists.

The April 25 and May 12 quakes killed more than 8,700 people and damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in Nepal, including old temples, palaces and other historical structures that are popular with tourists.

Six of the seven UNESCO World Heritage sites closed after the quakes were reopened Monday, Tourism Minister Kripasur Sherpa said.

"We are urging people to come to Nepal for holiday to help Nepal rebuild," Sherpa said in Bhaktapur, a city outside of Kathmandu filled with ancient temples, and which is among the reopened heritage sites.

The sites were closed due to the damage from the quakes, but also over concerns about the safety of tourists.

Bhesh Narayan Dahal, chief of Nepal's Department of Archaeology, said that measures have been taken to ensure that tourists are safe, and that there are plans to provide safety helmets for visitors in some places.

Some 741 heritage structures were damaged in the quakes, and it will take at least $18 million to rebuild and restore them, Dahal said.

Nepal is hosting an international donors' meeting next week in Kathmandu, the capital, to seek money to help rebuild the Himalayan country following the quakes.

About 800,000 foreign tourists visit Nepal every year and the government is worried that a fear of earthquakes will stop many from visiting.

UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural heritage organization, had raised concerns last week about the reopening of the heritage sites, urging tourists to be extra cautious and reconsider visiting them.

The agency also asked the government to restrict tourists' access to locations where structures had collapsed and that were still considered unsafe.

Contributed by BINAJ GURUBACHARYA