Art competition, training for bird guides, and interactions with bodies concerned in regard with challenges in the conservation of birds and possible ways of overcoming them are the parts of the festival, according to society secretary Hemant Dhakal. The opening day of the festival witnessed an inter-school art competition based on the theme of ‘birds, community and ecotourism’. A total of 27 students took part in it. The three-day event kicked off Thursday.
The second day features a photo exhibition which includes works created by participants of art competition and of bird photographers. Pokhara Tourism Council’s chair Chirinjibi Pokharel said the festival had its own significance and bird-watching tourism was of the specialized genres in tourism. According to him, among total tourists arriving in Nepal, eight percent travel for the explicit purpose of bird-watching.
One of the objectives of the festival is to draw the attention of bodies concerned towards taking measures to encourage the arrival of such tourists and the conservation of birds. As he said, 467 species of birds are available in Pokhara and it is home to a good number of Spiny babbler which is found only in Nepal across the world. It will bring together ornithologists, bird conservationists, tourism entrepreneurs and the government representatives to discuss, in several rounds, about the challenges in birds conservations and ways of solutions.
The service charge of a guide for avitourism in Nepal is 100 US dollar per day. “Promotion of bird-watching tourism falls under priority of the state as well and it would help extend the stay of foreign visitors,” said journalist Krishna Mani Baral. Lately, community participation has increased in the efforts for development and promotion of avian tourism.
The Millennium Trek, the first of its kind in Nepal, offers views of a large number of birds and works have started to identify birds in a bid to develop bird-watching tourism there, said trek management committee general secretary Harka Gurung. The 72-kilometer trek links Dulegauda of Tanahu with Rambachha of Syangja and it is a place rich in natural beauty. RSS
