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RARE NEWSLETTER
JANUARY, 2021 |
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What an exciting year this has been for us all - a valedictory note for 2020 and looking forward into 2021...
by Marcus Cotton, TMPL Nepal
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At Tiger Mountain we continue our journey of Conscious Luxury Travel using the Rare Destinations Touchstones and Secret Retreats Pledges as our waymarks as we evolve deeper into Regenerative Tourism and how this can be applied in the hills of Nepal.
We were the first South Asian lodge to sign up for the UNEP / UNWTO Global Tourism Plastics Initiative | One Planet Network removing all unnecessary plastic by 2023. We have also moved forward following the Four Cs of The Long Run – Conservation, Community, Culture and Commerce. We work closely with many responsible tourism organisations such as Earth-changers and Kiwano, as well as with larger groups such as Traveller Made. In all we aim to promote Regenerative Tourism and this is key to our relationship with these associations.
We have incorporated a biogas digester to supply the staff kitchen with cooking gas, reducing our dependence on LPG and the waste goes to Jit Bahadur our Head Gardener to nourish our herbs, salads and vegetables in the organic gardens he nurtures with such care.
Water meters installed at our borehole and laundry allow us much more accurate knowledge of our consumption – but we were worried about using excess water…. until we discovered we had missed a decimal point!!
The beastly virus has impacted us all as everywhere else in the world – so community engagement has had to be at arms’ length. However, our Hello World computer hub in Shiva Shakti School continues a centre of excitement and interest when the school is open. Our staff have been active mentors and guides for their communities raising Covid awareness – what the virus is…and what it is not. Tiger Mountain has been actively involved with Nepal Tourism Board and the Nepal Tourism Think Tank to refine the Hotel Protocols and draft the Mountain Tourism Protocols as well as scripts and sponsorship for training and awareness videos for Mountain Tourism in the time of Covid.
Now is the time for Nepal to reset the tourism paradigm for the country to focus on quality tourism with low social and environmental impacts, personal journeys of transformation for guests, effective revenue generation for commercial viability and wider distribution of the benefits of tourism over more of Nepal's diverse communities. This is our mantra at Tiger Mountain and we share it with the industry.
Much focus by Chef Lalu and his team in the kitchens has been on discovering traditional ways of cooking, old recipes, and refining age-old ways for a modern style and palate, both in the Nepalese and continental traditions. It was a pleasure to welcome Chef Mohit Shrestha from Paris to share his experiences and ideas for aspects of fusion cuisine. We have all cheered on Chef Santosh Shah in his Master Chef UK campaign.
Our guests, such as they have been – freed from the confines of urban lockdowns – have adored being able to walk in the forest and farmland around the lodge. Enjoying the simple pleasures of fine views, fresh air, and secluded picnic spots. We have evolved the ancient Japanese concept of Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) to give it a Nepalese flavour as ?? ??? (Ban Magan). |
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| We have had excellent sightings of Leopard, Leopard Cat, Barking Deer and other fauna on our camera trap. The oasis that is Tiger Mountain is happily shared between wildlife and humans. Nine new species of butterfly for the lodge have been recorded by Jhalak, Hari P, Hari B and Sajan. Bird sightings remain excellent and TMPL continues to lead the Asian Waterfowl Census for the Pokhara Valley Lakes, with the 2021 survey happening from 8th January 2021, Tiger Mountain and Pokhara Bird Society working together for an effective census. It will be our 18th year of leading the census for the Pokhara Valley Lakes on behalf of Himalayan Nature. |
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We continue to deepen and broaden our relationship with Rare – through interviews and panel discussions on Zoom to behind the scenes conversations and debates as to the future vision and direction. We were thrilled to partner with Shobha Mohan of Rare and Husna Tara of Glenburn in forging the partnership of Rare and Secret Retreats – starting the journey for a truly pan-Asian family of like-minded conscious luxury properties. We cooperate in a similar manner with Secret Retreats to promote sustainability and the vital role of Regenerative Tourism. We work closely with Yeti World's Moksha Mustang to promote a unique Transect of the Himalaya between cis-Himalayan Tiger Mountain and trans-Himalayan Moksha Mustang. Strong relations and partnerships continue with Dwarika's, Tiger Tops and other leading hotels and lodges in Nepal. We look forward to further new and exciting partnerships in 2021.
I started by noting, What a Year; challenging, exciting, worrying, frightening, upliftingin a giddy round – where we have all learnt so much about respect for our natural and social environments; about the importance of caring for all sentient beings, human and all the gamut of all creation in its majestic panoply.
What a Year indeed – and the Journey for Tiger Mountain continues... In this respect it gives me enormous pleasure to welcome Sangjay and Rinchen Choegyal as Directors of the company. Sangjay is well known to many of you and has wide experience of the cutting-edge tourism Nepal sorely needs - Four Seasons Tented Camp, Thailand, Shinta Mani Wild, Cambodia, Gal Oya Lodge, Sri Lanka and Aman Kora, Bhutan and other world-class properties. Rinchen has led an impressive career in financial services working with Blackrock and Ruffer to name but two. I am confident their breadth of experience and youthful vision will be an enormous asset to Tiger Mountain and we all look forward to working closely with them. |
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I conclude with an enormous and heartfelt tribute to the staff team at the lodge and in our Kathmandu Office - all, without exception, heroes in their individual ways and by their commitment, morale and trenchant support throughout 2020.
Thank you all likewise as our fantastic supporters: local and international travel agents, tour operators, private travel designers, influencers, bloggers, etc. Another thank you to the communities that form Rare and Secret Retreats and for all your heart-warming support. We are proud and honoured to be part of such a family. Finally an enormous thank you to our guests, booked by all our wonderful agents and supporters. You and your guests continue to inspire and uplift us on our shared journey.
Marcus and all the team at Tiger Mountain |
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| Directors and Duty Staff at Tiger Mountain - January 2021 |
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