Vishnu Shrestha, born in 1935, a very well known tourism figure and the very first person to introduce the “resort” hotel concept in Nepal passed away on April 19 1995. The founder of the famous Dhulikhel Mountain Resort (DMR) was not just merely a businessman but also a caring and affable man as well as an exceptional visionary.

The son of a businessman, Shrestha spent his early years helping his father take care of the family business. In the late 1960’s he ventured out on his own and entered the travel industry as a freelance guide. In 1970, he joined Yeti Travels, from this well established tour company, he learned more about the nature of the tourism business. His sheer dedication and hard work at the agency earned him one promotion after another, and soon he became the companies Tour Manager. Finally, having gained a wealth of experience, he decided the time was ripe and he was ready to move on once again in pursuit of his dream of constructing a pioneering resort to showcase rural Nepal, promote harmony with the natural environment and help support the local people.

During his long association with tourists visiting Nepal, Shrestha felt that merely showing them the mountains and cityscapes was not enough. He wanted visitors to see and experience the real Nepal; the sedate and tranquil atmosphere of Nepalese villages and mountain life far removed from the frenzied pace of city life. His dream of building a resort with typical Nepalese style thatched-roofed bungalows began to take shape in 1981 when he purchased land and laid down the foundations of Dhulikhel Mountain Resort.

 

In the beginning many people thought that Shrestha was out of his mind to build the resort in Dhulikhel, which was at the time thought to be a remote place. Even the local residents of Dhulikhel treated him like an outsider and were always hostile towards him and the “concerned” authorities were all but concerned despite the fact that his resort as well as the other contributions that he was to make in Dhulikhel in later years would benefit the entire area. He faced great difficulty in bringing even basic facilities such as water, electricity and “proper” telephone connections to his resort although he was willing to personally invest whatever he could. His children fondly remember - ”initially, we had to carry ice boxes all the way from Kathmandu to Dhulikhel as there was no electricity. We had to depend on spring water. The telephone line, even today, is still very unreliable”.

From the very beginning, his motives were not solely that of a business, rather, he wanted to create a true resort. Something totally new and unique in Nepal. A place where tourists could revel in the Mountain views, soak up the local culture and go home with fond memories that would last a life time. The entire concept as well as the design of the resort was all Shrestha’s idea. He used local straw, bamboo, red clay, bricks and wood to construct the thatch-roofed bungalows in a style that mimics the typical houses that dot Nepal’s rural landscape.

 

Despite the odds Shrestha never gave up and eventually turned his venture into a success story. When the first few bungalows were completed and came into operation. The resort became an instant success. Everyone who visited the property praised the location and the innovative design of the property.

Perhaps the biggest contribution that Mr. Shrestha made at Dhulikhel was giving employment opportunities to local people in almost every stage of DMR’s construction and also its subsequent operation by training them, intensively in matters of hospitality, service and hygiene. As a result, guests staying at the resort have always been happy and impressed with the excellent level of service that they have been accorded.  

The reason why Shrestha decided to go for the typical Nepalese bungalows also had another purpose: his respect for nature. He wanted the Resort’s construction to have as minimum an impact on the environment as possible. By gradually acquiring more land for the Resort, he was able to plant many native trees and plants to turn the 200 ropanis of land into the beautiful lush green gardens that are today such an outstanding feature of the Resort. In keeping with his theme of environmental friendliness, he encouraged the use of organic farming with out the use of chemicals and pesticides throughout the region. He also took his passion for the environment and the local people one step further, by teaching modern farming techniques to the local people, allowing them to improve their crops and income.

Mr. Shrestha was also actively involved in many social projects around the area. His credits include providing fresh drinking water supplies to five nearby villages, fundraising efforts which coordinated funds from foreign donors to establish a local primary school and working in conjunction with an NGO to set up a free medical check up center. Much of this was done using his own funding, time and resources.

Shrestha used to say to his children. ”after ten years you will have tough competition from many newcomers. So, make sure that you always stay a step ahead all the time. To do this, you will have to create a quality product that even new resorts with new ideas and presentations will find difficult to compete with.” His advice was sound and in keeping with it, Shrestha himself never stopped the continuous process of expanding and upgrading, thus fulfilling his aim to give visitors their money’s worth in terms of quality and service demands reflected by the ever changing tourist market.

 

He was in the process of improvement works to make DMR more self sufficient, when death suddenly snatched him away and denied him his final dream. Today, many new properties have mushroomed in Dhulikhel with the boom in tourism but thanks to Shresta’s forward thinking and the continuing dedication of his children, two daughters and two sons, DMR still maintains its number one position as a choice resort in Dhulikhel. His children say” We know what daddy’s dream was and we are determined to make it come true”. His children are proud to carry on his work, but regret the lack of recognition for their father’s efforts. “The only disappointment is that the concerned authorities never gave daddy due credit for his efforts developing Dhulikhel as a tourist destination or appreciation for his social contributions”.

A visionary, a pioneer of the resort concept in Nepal as well as a social reformer and an environmental activist, Shrestha’s contributions will continue to live on.