Nepal Looks to Attract More LGBT Travelers

January 21, 2010

Gay marriage is set to hit Nepal in May and the tourism industry – lead by an openly gay member of parliament – is going all out in an effort to bank on lucrative pink pounds and dollars.

Next month, Sunil Babu Pant, an openly gay member of Nepal’s ruling Communist party, will host a tourism conference to discuss ways to increase the number of gay travellers to the Himalayan nation in an effort to boost its economy. Pant insists on attracting 10 percent of the global LGBT market to his country.

“We can have the maximum benefit for the Nepal economy which is fragile after years of war. The government is hoping to increase the number of tourists from 400,000 to one million next year and has taken a positive attitude to welcoming gay and lesbian visitors to help meet their ambitious target,” he told The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.

Once the nation begins marrying LGBT in May, it will unveil what it hopes will be a cash cow: Pink Mountain, which will offer newlywed gay couples “luxury honeymoon and wedding packages,” according to the Telegraph.

New York Times writer Aric Chen included Nepal as one of the top 10 places to visit in 2010, citing an increase in LGBT visibility.

"Recently, a transgender beauty queen even got a photo op with the prime minister," said Chen.

Taiwan nearly became the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage when a bill was introduced back in 2003; the issue hasn’t been taken up since.

While homosexuality is frowned upon across the globe, South and East Asians are generally not openly hostile to LGBT like their counterparts in the West, although coming-out still remains difficult for many due to the pressures of getting married, having children, and continuing the family line.
 

Image Source: www.news.pinkpaper.com