Nepal seems poised to go after the gay wedding market big time and in the process boost tourism and tourist income to the mountain nation. So says an article in the Telegraph that reports of upcoming events once Nepal's new constitution is adopted later this year. Leading the charge is Nepal's first openly gay member of parliament, Sunil Babu Pant (pictured at right). Indeed, Nepal seems to want to become the gay tourist capital of Asia - and will likely laugh all the way to the bank. I keep wondering when Virginia will figure out how much money the state is losing every year because of its extreme anti-gay mindset. With its history and historic sites, Virginia could be a great LGBT tourist attraction, but who wants to visit a state where the animal abuse statutes are stronger than the state's protections of LGBT citizens. Here are highlights from the Telegraph:*
Nepal's homosexual community, which is led by Asia's only openly gay member of parliament, will next month host a tourism conference to explore how to attract wealthy gay visitors to boost the country's war-ravaged economy. The country's new constitution will legalise homosexual marriage in May this year, when "Pink Mountain" will begin offering luxury honeymoon and wedding packages. The company will offer elephant-back bridal processions, Everest base camp ceremonies and weddings in remote Tibetan enclaves in the Himalayan republic.
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Mr Pant is hoping to build on the government's new determination to maximise income from tourism by targeting all potential markets. The country's tourism minister wrote a welcome statement for the International Conference on Gay and Lesbian Tourism in Boston last October, in which he said he believed Nepal will benefit from an increase in gay visitors.
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"Most Asian countries don't welcome gay visitors, so 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.
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I hope Nepal finds great success in this endeavor and helps demonstrate to gay unfriendly destinations that homophobia and anti-gay discrimination are costly.
Nepal's homosexual community, which is led by Asia's only openly gay member of parliament, will next month host a tourism conference to explore how to attract wealthy gay visitors to boost the country's war-ravaged economy. The country's new constitution will legalise homosexual marriage in May this year, when "Pink Mountain" will begin offering luxury honeymoon and wedding packages. The company will offer elephant-back bridal processions, Everest base camp ceremonies and weddings in remote Tibetan enclaves in the Himalayan republic.
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Mr Pant is hoping to build on the government's new determination to maximise income from tourism by targeting all potential markets. The country's tourism minister wrote a welcome statement for the International Conference on Gay and Lesbian Tourism in Boston last October, in which he said he believed Nepal will benefit from an increase in gay visitors.
*
"Most Asian countries don't welcome gay visitors, so 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.
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I hope Nepal finds great success in this endeavor and helps demonstrate to gay unfriendly destinations that homophobia and anti-gay discrimination are costly.
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