Win a trip to NEPAL for two people with a total prize value of over 15,000rmb.
We at Sherpa’s are proud to have links to Nepal through organizations supporting development projects. We focus our support on projects instigated by local communities who are invested in the outcome of the project.
In support, we have teamed up with Flight Centre to provide one lucky (ahem….talented) poser with a once in a lifetime experience for two to Nepal.
The rules are simple:
1) Get a photo of yourself posing as a Sherpa’s courier/logo, and post it to one of our social media sites. Be as creative as you like, but it’s a photo of you on a public site, so we advise you to keep it clean.
2) To enter, send us your photo to Instagram with #sherpascontest and #deliverme2nepal, post the shot to our Facebook or Weibo page, send us a photo message on WeChat or enter it in the comments on our blog at: blog.sherpa.com.cn.
3) Enter as many times as you like before September 30.
The prize includes:
- Flights for two from Shanghai or Beijing to Kathmandu, thanks to Flight Centre*
- Luxury rides to and from the airport in Shanghai or Beijing**
- 4 nights accommodation in an approved hotel linked to a recognized community support organization in Nepal**
- Dinner for 2 at one of Kathmandu’s highly recommended locally owned and operated restaurants**
- A voucher with a local tour operator with which you can choose from the array of adventures Nepal has to offer**
We are pleased to be sending tourists to Nepal to contribute to the local economy over there, and thank our partners Flight Centre and That’s Mags for their initiative and support.
* Prize includes return flights to Kathmandu from Shanghai. Flights must be booked and used by 30 September 2016 at 23.59pm GMT+8. Blackout dates apply and flights must be booked 6 weeks before departure. Prize is non-transferrable and not redeemable for cash or travelers cheques. For full terms and conditions visit www.flightcentre.com.cn
** All additional prize products (excluding flights) will be arranged by Sherpa’s. Flight Centre assumes no liability for these contributions.
Background on the situation in Nepal
Nepal is recovering from the earthquakes in April this year, which killed over 8000 people, damaged countless buildings and buried entire villages. There was an outpouring of aid and offers of assistance; to the extent that Kathmandu airport became overrun with cargo planes. Organizations on the ground had to ask for the shipments to slow down so they had time to cope with distribution of food, medicine and tarpaulins.
As the images of crumbled buildings, death and destitution faded from our TV screens, the Nepali people, with characteristic tenacity, have gone about the business of rebuilding, recovering and healing. The urgency to provide shelter, temporary learning facilities, clean water and sanitation facilities is compounded by the arrival of the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, in other words, right now.
Tourism is an important industry in Nepal, supporting thousands of families. Many people work in small businesses providing services and accommodation for tourists, and others are employed as seasonal workers during the high seasons (September to December and February to April). The earthquakes have damaged the tourism industry, but not necessarily for the reasons people might think. Much of the country, where many of the tourist attractions are located, was not directly affected by the earthquakes. Despite this, many tourists have cancelled plans to go to Nepal this year, and there are already indications that groups planning future trips will cancel or postpone, fearing that hotels and transport facilities will not be ready in time.
Nepal is an extraordinary place to visit, with attractions from trekking, mountain biking and white water rafting for the more adventurous, to visiting temples and national parks for those looking for a more sedate experience. The tourists are a curious mixture of backpackers, hippies, adrenaline junkies, regular junkies and holidaying families. Occasionally you might bump into a tall man with long hair and a faraway look in his eyes, who introduces himself as “Red Eagle” and offers to read your fortune from his twinkie sticks, but that’s part of the fun. What will stick in your mind though after a visit to Nepal is the generosity of the local people, their self-sacrificing hospitality and the friendships you will have made there.