Kathmandu, November 26

The Union of Trekking Travels Rafting Workers Nepal (UNITRAV) has urged the government to bring the various homestay services spread across the country under the income tax net.

Issuing a press statement today, UNITRAV has said that the government has to regulate homestay services for the development of the tourism industry.

Although the number of tourists has been increasing every year, income generated from the tourism sector is declining each year. Hence, it is the responsibility of the government to expand the tax net, the statement adds.

“Homestay business has flourished in the country in recent years and most of the tourists prefer to stay at homestays as they are a lot cheaper than hotels. However, the government has failed to regulate this sector. Though it is relatively a small segment, the homestay business has to be regulated so that the government can have factual records of income,” as per the statement.

The statement further claims that Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has misused the amount collected through the Trekkers’ Information Management System (TIMS).

NTB has been accused of not being transparent with Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) regarding the amount collected as TIMS fees from Free Individual Trekkers (FIT). Thus, UNITRAV has demanded that NTB reveal the factual data of TIMS collection and distribute it to the concerned authorities.

Likewise, UNITRAV has also claimed that the staffers working at Tribhuvan International Airport have not received their salaries for the last three months. “If the airport management does not provide salary immediately, the union will go on a protest against the airport management,” the statement adds.

UNITRAV has also said that the government has to direct the national parks across the country to stop collecting entry fee from trekking and tour guides.