KATHMANDU: In a bid to give welcome boost to international tourists, Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) has launched a new promotional logo coinciding with the Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011. During the 40th annual general meeting of HAN in the capital, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sarat Singh Bhandari has launched HAN’s new promotional logo and souvenir. He expressed his confidence over the success of NTY 2011. “However, greater dedication is needed to achieve the target of NTY 2011 in bringing one million international tourists. Presenting his paper titled ‘Breaking into new markets with product innovation’, Chairman of Tourism Malaysia Datuk Dr Victor Wee suggested that there should be close cooperation between the government and other tourism entrepreneurs for achieving the ambitious target of bringing one million tourists. He also said that Nepal, as a tourist destination, needed to increase its access to different tourism markets and focus on the two most populated and fasted growing economies — India and China. Wee said that the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could also be major tourist generating markets for Nepal. “This year, Asian tourists will lead growth in the global travel industry. Asian economies are rebounding faster from the global recession,” he said. Citing an example of Malaysia, Wee said that NTOs could easily customise their promotions and products specifically for the market. “Nepal should concentrate on promoting pilgrimage, adventure, heritage, volunteer and nature-based tourism activities,” he advised. “It is good for Nepal to embark on an awareness campaign early and make a mark on its target markets. This will give a lead time for travel agents and tour operators to develop their packages.” On the occasion, Yogendra Sakya, National Coordinator of NTY-201, presented a paper on “Bridging tourism through NTY-2011’. Welcoming the participants, HAN president Prasidha Bahadur Panday, said the recurring labour problems were one of the major obstacles to the growth of the tourism industry in Nepal. He called for separate labour laws for the tourism industry to thrive to its full potentials.