Thamel marks Tourism Day with carnival

KATHMANDU: The World Tourism Day was celebrated with a special street festival at Thamel on September 27. Organised by the Thamel Tourism Development Council (TTDC), 'Thamel Street Carnival 2010' brought a fervour to the streets of Thamel. With the slogan 'Together for Tourism', a rally was organised in the morning which took a round around the Thamel area. Tejendra Nath Shrestha, President of TTDC and Prachanda Man Shrestha, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, attended the rally which saw participation of people from various organisations associated with tourism. The festival started with the lighting of the eight-feet tall 'Tourism Torch' by Minister of Tourism Sharad Singh Bhandari, who also inaugurated the CCTVs in Thamel and the map of Thamel in English and Chinese languages. And as the evening approached, the whole Thamel glittered with lights and locals and foreigners strolled in the busy streets among the food stalls and music from different shops filled the air. Some of the shops and restaurants had put up small stalls in front to attract customers. The food stalls in different corners of the streets were the main attraction for the visitors. People dressed in different traditional attires were seen on the streets performing their cultural dances. 'We are trying to show the different cultures of our country to the tourists through these dance performances. It would also help to preserve our culture,' said Raju Man Dongol, General Secretary of TTDC. One could see many Nepali families roaming the area enjoying what the carnival had to offer. Bhupesh Rajbhandari's family was one of those. 'Festival like this allows a family to visit Thamel and we are looking for good food out here,' said Rajbhandari, a resident of Hattigauda. Mike Para from Romania, who came to Nepal two days ago said, 'The culture of Nepal is different from that of European countries. However, everything in the area is the same like it was yesterday.'

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