CHITWAN, JANUARY 24

The Bharatpur Metropolitan City (BMC) is going to inaugurate Bharatpur Visit Year on March 1.

The meeting of the executive of the Metropolis decided to launch the tourism promotion campaign in presence of the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers, ministers, dignitaries and over 50,000 other people.

The Metropolis had decided to observe visit year towards the beginning of January but citing the lack of preparation, the inaugural got deferred to March 1, according to the Metropolis.

Dr Bishwa Subedi, tourism advisor of the BMC, said the inaugural would see presence of persons involved in the tourism sector from federal, province and local levels. To ensure local residents' attendance in the inaugural, the ward chairpersons of all 29 wards in the Metropolis would be assigned for the same.

Rallies and cultural processions involving elephants would be staged from every ward that would eventually assemble in the Narayani River side.

There are seven major tourist destinations in Bharatpur and 21 additional ones publicized for the Bharatpur Visit Year. A 2,024-member Main Organizing Committee has been formed, coordinated by BMC Mayor Renu Dahal to make the Bharatpur Visit Year a success.

The campaign is estimated to cost 60 million. Over 200,000 external and 500,000 domestic tourists are expected to visit Chitwan district during the Bharatpur Visit Year.

On the eve of the inaugural, local artistes will perform in the cultural programme in the Narayani river bank, it was shred.