KATHMANDU, MAY 26

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has urged tourism authorities to ensure warm hospitality for tourists visiting Nepal, while eliminating legal and administrative hurdles.

Speaking at the National Tourism Dialogue organized by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation at Singha Durbar today, the Prime Minister called for comprehensive reforms to remove obstacles, if any, and to accelerate the development of tourism infrastructure.

He stressed the need to eliminate unnecessary hassles faced by visitors-such as difficulties at immigration, loss of luggage, and harassment at land border entry points. 'Let us advance tourism as a pillar of national prosperity, ensuring that facilitation from relevant authorities is seamless and efficient,' the Prime Minister said.

Addressing the European Union's continued ban on Nepali aviation service providers, he instructed the concerned authorities to fulfill the required conditions, including the division of the civil aviation regulator into separate licensing and oversight bodies.

The dialogue highlighted several priorities: timely construction of major road corridors such as Kathmandu–Muglin–Pokhara, Butwal–Palpa–Pokhara, and Kathmandu–Dhulikhel; easier tourist entry at land border points; establishing direct air connectivity with European countries; global branding of Nepal; development of a comprehensive tourism promotion master plan; restructuring of Nepal Airlines Corporation; implementation of the Sagarmatha Dialogue conclusions; quality investment and workforce development; tax and currency exchange facilitation; Himalayan clean-up initiatives; expansion of digital capabilities; and strengthened inter-agency coordination.

The event was attended by federal ministers, provincial tourism ministers, senior government officials, and private sector representatives. An action plan-developed from private sector feedback regarding challenges and proposed solutions in the tourism sector-was presented for discussion during the event.