Introduction

I went to Nepal as part of a Nepal-Bhutan trip in March 2003. In total I stayed 16 days in Nepal. This was my itinerary:
- Days 1-2: arrival, walking in Thamel and making practical arrangements.
- Days 3-4: visit of Patan-Bakhtapur-Nagarkot-Sangku-Changu Narayan by mountain bike
- Day 5: transfer to Pokhara
- Day 6-13: Jomsom trek
- Day 14-16: Kathmandu and departure

Political situation - Touristic industry

1) It is clear that tourism in Nepal is in crisis for the moment (2003). This is due to 3 factors:
- The royal massacre in 2001 shocked the nation and tourists. The official version is that this was done by the son of the former king 5who both died in the massacre), but no one actually believes this story. Most people think it was the son of the actual king who was behind the massacre, so that he could be the future king. Therefore the present king gets less respect from the Nepalese.
- 11 september made matters worse. US tourists made up 10% of all tourists, and this definitely decreased.
- Finally the conflict with the Maoists is probably the most important factor. The conflict started in 1996, but it was more recently that matters got worse with demonstrations, and also attacks on government buildings and also the airport in Lukla. It must be stressed however that Maoists have always said not to target tourists, and they have not done this untill now. Since february 2003, there is a truce now, and everybody hopes this will remain so that tourism can flourish again.
2) Because of this, the number of tourists has decreased from 460.000 in 2000 to 200.000 in 2002. Amoung the richer tourists coming in groups, this is even more so.
3) Still, I think one should go to Nepal, even under these circumstances, as long as you take some simple measures as proposed by the foreign embassies:
- Only go to safe areas like Annapurna and the region North of Lukla.
- If you go trekking, always take a guide
- Report to your embassy
4) During my visit I didn't notice anything from the troubles. There was increased security in airports, but this could be due to the Iraq war. When you go biking outside of Kathmandu, you'll see plenty of military camps and checkpoints, but they won't bother you.