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20th
JAN

Nepal to promote gay tourism

Posted by Brian | Filed under tourism

: Image via Wikipedia

Nepal will celebrate its legalisation of gay marriage by promoting the country as being the gay tourism capital of Asia says Pink News.

Gay marriages were legalised in the land-locked country in 2009 by the country’s Supreme Court and the government is to begin drafting a law in the upcoming months. A conference in February will be held to discuss how the country can attract more gay couples.

Meanwhile, Sunil Babu Pant, the country’s only out gay MP has created and launched a travel company called ‘Pink Mountain’ which will offer wedding ceremonies at the base of Mount Everest and processions on horseback. The MP believes Nepal’s economy could benefit from a substantial boost if the country can attract one-tenth of the world’s gay population to the country.

Until 2007, homosexuality was illegal in the country but the past few years have seen profound changes for gay rights and Pant – a gay activist hero around the world told the Daily Telegraph the government had a target to increase tourist numbers from 400,000 to one-million in the coming year and that by looking to attract gay visitors the country could reap the benefit of additional tourist revenue.

In the past, Nepal was once a strongly conservative country and gays suffered persistent persecution from security forces during the absolutist rule of King Gyanendra, while harassment of lesbian, gay and trans-genders continued at the hands of Maoist rebels.