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The people of Pokhara have been waiting for their city to be formally declared as the tourism capital of the country for nearly half a decade. Both the government and the people's representatives here desire rapid development in Pokhara through tourism, while tourism professionals hope to grow their businesses with the implementation of tourism-related projects in the area. Four years have passed since the Gandaki Province Government sent a request to the federal government, but there has been no response yet. It seems that these aspirations may remain just an imagination for a few more months or years. A study of facts upon which the provincial government and local bodies based their plan to make Pokhara a tourism hub shows no research has been conducted on this front yet. This raises concerns about the feasibility and sustainability of the plan. The talks of making Pokhara the tourism capital of the country have become a tool for people's representatives to convince the public of rapid development. People's representatives frequently mention it during formal ceremonies as a way to demonstrate their commitment to the community. However, the lack of study on the feasibility and sustainability of the plan raises questions about whether it is truly achievable. "We are preparing to declare Pokhara as the tourism capital of the country very soon, which will add significant value to your business as well," Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City, Dhana Raj Aacharya, said during a program organized by hotel professionals at Begnas Lake a few days ago. In response to the curiosity of locals about how people's representatives plan to utilize the natural resources available in Pokhara, Mayor Acharya said that if Pokhara becomes a formal tourism hub, it will open the way for many more fast-tracked projects. However, in the absence of authentic research on the feasibility and sustainability of such a plan, it is unclear whether these projects will truly benefit the community. Other people's representatives also make similar statements when addressing tourism-related programs. The Chief Minister and other members of the province cabinet have also been saying the same. However, it is uncertain whether these statements are grounded in reality or simply empty promises. In 2019, the Office of the Chief Minister submitted a formal request to the federal cabinet for the declaration of Pokhara as the tourism capital of the country. However, the federal cabinet has not yet responded to this request. It is unclear when a decision might be made. At the end of 2021, the newly formed coalition government also passed a letter with the same purpose to the federal government. "The second request to declare Pokhara as the tourism capital of the country also remains unanswered," said Chief Minister of Gandaki Province Krishna Chandra Nepali. According to him, the declaration would greatly benefit the people of the area, not only by increasing the value of their property, but also by creating additional employment opportunities. Stakeholders argue that the natural heritage, trekking routes, and high mountain peaks found in Pokhara make it an ideal location for a tourism hub. "That is why the idea of making Pokhara a tourism capital was developed," said former minister for the Gandaki Province Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment Bikash Lamsal. According to Lamsal, the provincial government decided to make Pokhara the tourism capital of the country in 2019 after studying proposals from tourism-related organizations and listening to the experiences of tourism professionals. However, the plan was delayed due to the covid pandemic and the subsequent change in government. According to the Status Paper of Gandaki Province Policy and Planning Commission published in 2019, almost 40% of the total tourists visiting Nepal come to Pokhara. The average stay of tourists in Pokhara is typically three days, which the provincial government hopes to increase to at least one week. The data in the Status Paper was reportedly based on reports from tourism-related organizations and the experiences of tourism entrepreneurs. There is no authentic data on the number of tourists visiting Pokhara. This lack of local data raises concerns about the accuracy and reliability of the information used to support the plan to make Pokhara the tourism capital of the country. Lack of Data It is important to identify the volume of tourists as well as their interests in order to provide appropriate facilities and calculate the economic value of their visit. However, Pokhara's tourism has not yet been formally counted, as the city is still in the process of developing hotel standards and promoting local culture and cuisines. Both the province and local governments are relying on secondary sources for data on the potential of Pokhara as the country’s tourism capital. However, there is no staff or research dedicated to collecting data on the opportunities and facilities available to tourists in Pokhara. Until now, tourist data has been collected from three entry points and police checkpoints in Muglin, Galyang, and Pokhara Airport. The collection of data began in 2019 at the initiative of the provincial tourism ministry when the nation was preparing for the Visit Nepal Year 2020 tourism promotional campaign. However, the data collection relies on the oral inquiries of police personnel at the checkpoints and lacks authenticity, as there is no standardized method for identifying tourists. Tourists are only recorded if they are foreign and this information is obtained orally from bus drivers and conductors. Additionally, data on the number of tourists visiting Pokhara is also obtained from the counters of Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). However, this data does not provide a complete picture as it only accounts for those coming for trekking purposes.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 56.88 points to close at 2,029.03 points on Thursday. Similarly, the sensitive index plunged by 9.98 points to close at 391. 30 points. A total of 8,024,559 unit shares of 257 companies were traded for Rs 2. 86 billion. Meanwhile, Himalaya Urja Bikas Company Limited, Sanima Life Insurance Limited and Srijhansil Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited were the top gainers today, with their price surging by 10. 00 percent. Nepal Bank Debenture was the top loser as its price fell by 3.95 percent. At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 2. 93 trillion.

China plans to reopen borders on January 8 by abandoning quarantine and downgrading other safeguards against Covid-19. This is the country’s last step in shedding three years of zero-Covid and pivoting to living with the virus, The South China Morning Post reports. After almost three years of closed borders, this will reopen the country to those with work and study visas, or seeking to visit family, BBC reports.  But it comes as China struggles with the virus's ferocious spread in the wake of restrictions being lifted. Reports say hospitals are overwhelmed and elderly people are dying. The true toll—daily case counts and deaths—is currently unknown because officials have stopped releasing Covid data. From January 8, travelers to China will only need to present a negative PCR test result from the previous 48 hours at customs to enter the country, the State Council announced on Monday night, according to the report. The State Council said China would officially scrap centralized quarantine and Covid-19 tests on arrival from that date. Travelers will also no longer have to apply to Chinese embassies for a health code before departure. Nepal-China border virtually remains closed after the coronavirus outbreak. This has seriously affected two-way trade and transport. The Nepali side is requesting China to open the border but the northern neighbor is citing its strict zero-Covid policy. Nepal’s Ambassador to China Bishnu Pukar Shrestha said Nepal is requesting Beijing officials to remove the border hassles as soon as possible. After three years of closure, Rasuwagadhi-Kurung, a key crossing point for the bilateral trade between Nepal and China, was reopened from Tuesday. Nepal has started importing Nepali products to China. China will scrap restrictions on international passenger flights, increase the number of flights in stages, and optimize the distribution of routes, according to the statement, according to Xinhua news agency. Airlines will continue to carry out disinfection on board, and passengers are required to wear masks when flying, it said. China will further optimize arrangements for foreigners traveling to China for work, business, study, family visits, and reunions, and provide visa facilitations accordingly. Measures will be taken to ensure that freight at various ports will return to pre-epidemic levels as soon as possible, and outbound tourism for Chinese citizens will be resumed in an orderly manner, said the statement, according to Xinhua.  With the opening of the border, Nepal-China engagement that was restricted for nearly three years is likely to increase. Rasuwa/Kerung port between Nepal and the People’s Republic of China has officially resumed its operation for two-way trade from Tuesday, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Department of Commerce of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China organized an official ceremony in Kerung today to observe the opening of the port. Similarly, Hilsa/Purang port has also been opened for one-way trade from 26 December 2022. The resumption of the ports is expected to augment bilateral trade between Nepal and China, the Ministry said.  

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 200 per tola in the domestic market on Thursday. According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow bullion is being traded at Rs 100, 900 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 92, 101, 100 per tola on Wednesday. Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 100, 400 per tola today. Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 10 and is being traded at Rs 1, 380 per tola.