Study of the impact of lighting intervention in historic and touristic city of Nepal

Nepal is an ideal destination for individuals who value an experience of culture, adventure, mesmerizing scenarios, and a variety of architecture. Tourism is one of the major industries of Nepal, so it is necessary to promote the tourism industry. One possible means is to undertake appropriate and scientific intervention in illumination. This study focuses on the analysis of the current lighting scenario of historic and urban tourist destinations of Nepal. Most of the tourist attractions or tourist residing vicinities seemed to not be properly and adequately lighted. The study identified several reasons for inadequate lighting in places that are supposed to be lit adequately such as streets, pathways, squares, heritage sites, temples, and monuments. Furthermore, identified issues in the current lighting practices comprise light pollution, glare, inefficient luminaires, and a lack of maintenance. The lighting preference of tourists and dwellers/facility owners/caretakers were studied and any mismatch between them was identified. The study also conducted a survey on the status of lighting practices, the opinion of the stakeholders, and the feasibility and need for installation of luminaires in different places of the historic and touristic site.