KATHMANDU: Namaste Campaign, a drive to promote tourism in the country at the international level, kicked off from today under the slogan – 'Atithi Devo Bhawah' or guests are god.

The campaign is organised with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Non Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), and organisations active in the tourism sector, among others.

Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Parshuram Tamang inaugurated the campaign amidst a function in Kathmandu on Sunday. On the occasion, he expressed the belief the campaign would play an important role in providing information on Nepal's tourism attractions in the international arena.

Stating that tourism occupied 3% of the total contribution to the country's GDP, he underlined the need of winning the hearts of the visitors who would then publicise the country abroad.

NRNA vice-president Bhawan Bhatta said the campaign would be continuously run with the objective of bringing in 1.6 million tourists into the country until 2018.

The campaign was started from Lumbini, Pokhara and Chitwan besides Kathmandu. It will be extended to other districts in the coming days. Around 800 thousand tourists visited Nepal in 2016.