KATHMANDU: The Visit Nepal Year 2020 has been officially inaugurated amidst a special ceremony held at Dashrath Stadium this evening.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated VNY-2020 amidst a grand ceremony held at the Stadium.

Also present at the function were the Chief Justice, National Assembly Chairperson, former prime ministers, ministers, political party leaders, dignitaries from various countries including tourism ministers, heads of constitutional bodies, heads of diplomatic missions, and members of the parliament.

In his welcome speech, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai said that VNY-2020 was only an entry point and that the government was preparing to observe the coming decade as the tourism decade.

Prior to the official inauguration, march-past by associations related to the tourism sector and social organisations were held while Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force made a special presentation. Renowned musical bands of Nepal also performed on the occasion.

The campaign was also officially inaugurated in all the seven provinces today.

Also, speaking on the occasion, VNY-2020 Secretariat Coordinator Suraj Baidya said the inaugural ceremony was focused on highlighting Nepal's culture, heritage, costumes, and lifestyle while promoting tourism in the country.