KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 23
The Tourism Revitalisation Steering Committee has inked an agreement with Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines to provide a discount in the airfare to foreign tourists as Nepalis to attract more external tourists.
The committee formed under the chairmanship of Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Bahadur Ale entered the agreement with the private airlines to ensure a concession in the domestic airfare for foreigners.
Foreigners travelling by air within Nepal had been paying nearly double the fare that Nepalis paid for the air ticket for the domestic routes due to the policy.
There were growing grievances among the foreigners travelling to Nepal that they were charged more than the locals for airfare and they should be charged the same rate as the Nepalis. The policy was introduced by the then Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation.
Likewise, the Hotel Association Nepal has decided to provide the foreign tourists a discount of up to 20 per cent in hotel rooms in a bid to revive the COVID-19 pandemic-battered tourism sector.
Committee Coordinator Rajaram Giri shared, "We have inked an agreement with two private airlines to offer a discount to foreigners in airfare. We have taken forward the same proposal with other private airlines too and they are positive about it too."
Furthermore, the committee has appealed with the agencies concerned to coordinate and collaborate with the stakeholders to identify new prospects for tourism sector and enable invest-friendly atmosphere in this sector.
The committee has requested the COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre to simplify and amend the travel criteria put in place by the government for the passengers travelling in and out of Nepal considering the decreasing rate of COV- ID-19 infection in the country and around the world.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 24, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
