A single pomelo tree in Kathmandu is credited with feeding the creativity of writers, musicians and even politicians. But its owner, Karna Sakya, gets the credit for putting Nepal on the tourist map.
In 1968, the young Nepalese conservation officer resigned from his government post and opened a small hotel near that tree. Today, Karna owns eight eco-friendly Nepali hotels, employs 600 people and has won numerous environmental awards. He’s a bestselling author and adviser to the government, and he’s changed the face of tourism in Nepal forever.
It all started 46 years ago with the 13-room Kathmandu Guest House in the Thamel neighborhood of the capital. Back then, he says, there were only two types of visitors to the Himalayan kingdom: mountaineers and hippies. “Nepal was heaven for hippies. They’d travel overland from London in old buses.”
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Karna credits bonding with guests and caring for the environment for his success. He loves talking with clients and making new friends, noting that it’s visitors to Nepal who “become our ambassadors” when they return home.
And nurturing that pomelo tree — and its mythical powers — certainly hasn’t hurt either.
