You must have heard or read about it by far, the government is preparing to bar Nepalis from using tourist vehicle service, limiting these vehicles only open for foreigners. As soon as we came to know about it, our very first reaction was, “Are you f***ing kidding me?” Yes, that’s right, that was the exact reaction from us. Here are six reasons why.

1. Earlier this year in April, the current Nepali year 2073 B.S. was announced as ‘Ghumphir Barsa’ by Nepal Tourism Board to promote domestic tourism. Great! And this is how you encourage the local people to travel by restricting them to use tourist vehicles? Really? Like seriously?? Bravo!

2. Domestic flight tickets are expensive and not everyone can afford them. And so the next best option that remains is a tourist vehicle. Their tickets are higher than the average highway buses but keeping in mind the comfort and safety they provide; many Nepali people prefer to travel on these vehicles. But now, they can’t. Why? Because being a Nepali in Nepal is almost a crime — you get punished for the things you never did.

3. Can our government ever make us feel like we did the right thing by choosing to live in Nepal and not going abroad? Isn’t it their responsibility to encourage us to STAY in Nepal and DO something here that will not only develop our own life styles but also the nation. But no, we will never be appreciated for doing something for the country and the people from outside will always be given more priority over us. Of course we know “Atithi Devo Bhawa” but that doesn’t mean that the locals are always dominated for no reason.

4. If internal tourists are discouraged from travelling with such ‘stupid’ new rules; it would be a loss for the entire tourism industry and hence, the economy of the nation too will be hampered.

5. According to Bobarjug Gurung, president of Tourism Transportation Committee of Pokhara, most of the travellers using these vehicles are Nepalese and barring them will simply mean a huge loss for the transportation industry as well.

6. Everyday around 50 tourist buses ply Kathmandu-Pokhara route and if the number of passengers travelling on them decreases massively, a lot of these buses will need to be removed, making it even worse for the people who are dependent on these to earn for their families.

We tried hard, like really hard, to think of one positive impact that this new rule might bring but we failed to think of one. We openly condemn this rule that will only be affecting the tourism and transportation industries negatively; and urge the government not to implement it.

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We actually can’t even believe this!