why touristourists were discouraged ?

India Tour - With an aim to reassure the world that Nepal is a safe destination, tourism professionals from both government and private sector are gathering in New Delhi on February 9, 2005 to organize Nepal Show Case – a confidence building campaign targeted at Indian tourists and other foreigners coming to Nepal via India.
The organizing of such program at this hour is essential, mainly to counter the distorting messages that have been spread all over, thus creating unnecessary confusion to outbound tour operators and the incoming tourists following to the disruption of communication in the last few days, says Basant Raj Mishra, President of NATO.
The campaign is jointly led by Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO), Pacific Asia Travel Agents (PATA Nepal Chapter) and Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) with support from His Majesty’s Government of Nepal – Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA).
The Nepali team will hold a Business to Business session with the Indian tour operators and those foreign tour operators having their outlet in India during the event. A press conference will also be organized to apprise of the latest tourism scenario, including the smooth operation of international communication system to the Media, which will be followed by a reception.
A total of 12 tourism companies of Nepal are taking part in the program whose audience would be some 200 tourism professionals including those from Indian tour operator and Indian press.
“We have begun our efforts from India, as the Indian market is important for Nepalese tourism industry and almost one-third of the non-Indian tourists do come via India,” he added, stating that such activities would help regain the confidence of foreign tour operators and the tourists from the third countries that have already arrived in India in their long-haul tour to India and Nepal. “In the days to come, we will also organize similar events as a marketing campaign to promote Nepalese tourism in the European and American Markets,” Mr. Mishra added.
Nepali delegation would put its efforts to assure Indian tour operators of safety and security of tourists in Nepal and convince the Indian journalists that the life in Nepal is normal and everything is running as smooth as it was ever. The Nepali members of the team will relay their foreign counterparts that tourism would in fact, flourish in the changed scenario.
The Nepali team includes Honorary Secretary of NATO and the Board Member of NTB Mr. Ashok Pokharel, CEO of NTB Mr. Tek Bahadur Dangi, President of PATA-Nepal Chapter Mr. Prabin Bahadur Pandey and Honorary Secretary of PATA Nepal Chapter and Executive Member of NATO Mr. Shikher Prasai.
The twelve private companies participating in the event include Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Hotel Yak and Yeti, Hotel Annapurna, Hotel Everest, Shangri-La Hotel, Asian Trekking, Dharma Adventures, Himalayan Expedition, Natraj Tours and Travels, Shangri-La Tours, Yeti Travels and Cosmic Air. Tourism entrepreneurs are upbeat that the industry will not see the cancellations any more after this campaign. “The tourists were discouraged to travel to Nepal .
before, but now we hope that the business will be better,” they say. The tourism entrepreneurs have also thanked His Majesty’s Government of Nepal for resuming the international communication services in such a short span of time.

Source: http://www.nepaltouroperators.org/news.php