After days/years of uncertainty/insecurity following the Maoist insurgency, and later a compromise of sorts between the seven party alliance and the Maoists, the people of Nepal and moreover, those associated with the Tourism industry and mountain property Nepal breathed an audible sigh of relief thinking that the country could look forward to better days ahead. Indeed things were looking up for the tourism industry that in the days of the insurgency was the hardest hit. Then suddenly, in the midst of all the optimism, violence erupted in Nepal's Terai region and barely two weeks later started to hit national headlines. Even at the time of penning this piece, the Nepal Terai is still in flames with some 27 people dead, many injured and not a solution in sight. The latest is that some three former ministers said to be close to the palace have been arrested for presumably inciting the violence.

Whether the move by the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) government is an honest effort in tackling the issue, or as observers put it "a clumsy effort at the politics of diversion" is however, open o debate. However, the view that desperate measures to underplay, what is now seen as a national problem that could well call the very existence of the country in question if not deftly handled in time can by no means be ignored. Though it may be convenient to lump the entire blame on the regressive forces/palace and Hindu extremists from across the border, political analysts see the whole exercise as trying to hide government shortcomings for not foreseeing the Terai uprising earlier. Even a week after Prime Minister Koirala invited madhesi leaders for talks on the regional grievances, the chances of a dialogue taking place is still remote. That the unsavory incident is rooted in the interim constitution failing to democratically include and empower the madhesi people and other ethnic groups at the grassroots level is more than obvious.

Against this backdrop, a question that is also repeatedly cropping up is what is to become of the country's tourism industry that was just beginning to look up. Tourism entrepreneurs are concerned that the failure to sit for talks could bring about a fresh spate of devastating violence and this time round doubly affect the country's tourism industry. The tourism sector was showing signs of improvement since the Maoists joined the political mainstream and the initiation of the peace process. Now with the Terai uprising and the halfhearted attitude shown by the government thus far, it seems that the country and the tourism industry could revert once more to violence and killings.

Obviously, the question everyone is asking is, "What now?" "Where is the country headed?" and "Is the country's ill-fated tourism industry destined once more to be a victim of yet another violent uprising?" The answer obviously, is if the present trend of violence and killings continue, chances are that embassies based here, as before, are likely to put up travel advisories to their compatriots against visiting this country for fear of their lives. The US embassy in Kathmandu has yet to withdraw its previous advisory put up at the time of the Maoist insurgency. Even the prospective tourists planning a trip to Nepal from countries not issuing such notifications will dread entering what could possibly turn into a war zone.

On looking back and observing what could possibly lie if the Terai issue is not tackled once and for all, it seems that the country and its tourism industry that brings in the lollies will continue to be in dire straits. As if the decade of Maoist insurgency and the violence perpetrated was not enough, the Terai uprising now seems likely to take an equally heavy toll on the industry that obviously lays the proverbial golden eggs. The unfortunate incident comes at a time when things were just beginning to improve on the tourism front and official figures were indicating positive trends, and tourists both Indian and from other countries were registering a steady but sure increase. According to tourism entrepreneurs, the growth in the Indian tourist arrivals was chiefly due to a growing consumer confidence and an encouraging response to attractive tourism packages devised especially, for countries in the SAARC region.