October 20, 2024, 11:37 am The pioneer of wild-life tourism and senior tourism entrepreneur Basanta Mishra passed away today morning at the age of 71.
He had been undergoing treatment at intensive care unit at Norvic Hospital in Thapathali, after contracting dengue. His body has been taken from the hospital to his residence in Kupondole, and the funeral will take place at Aryaghat at 1 pm, according to family members.
Mishra, the key architect of wild-life tourism, started his career in the tourism industry by working with Gorkha Travels. He then joined Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge, which was inside Chitwan National Park. Convinced by the prospects of wildlife tourism in Nepal, he went on to open his own jungle lodge-Temple Tiger Jungle Lodge-inside Chitwan National Park. After him, many other tourism entrepreneurs followed his footsteps and opened similar properties inside the national park, though in later years they were displaced from inside the national park.
After the government decided to shut down these jungle lodges, Mishra relocated his property near the Narayani River in Nawalparasi and rebranded it as Temple Tiger Green Jungle Resort. He later opened Temple Tiger Luxury Apartments in the tourist district of Thamel. He also operated a travel company named Venture Travel.
Mishra was also one of the key architect in the establishement of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) to promote the tourism sector in collaboration of government and private sector.
Throughout his career, Mishra received numerous national and international awards in recognition of his contributions to the tourism industry.
A strong advocate of sustainable tourism in Nepal, who emphasized environmental conservation and the upliftment of local communities, Mishra was actively involved in the tourism sector since the 1970s.
Mishra, who recently established the Jyanu-Basantraj Mishra Foundation to recognize contributions in forestry, environment, education, and journalism, is survived by his wife, Jyanu, and son, Brajesh.
