KATHMANDU: For tourism promotion, Nepal and India can develop a common marketing strategy, opined Indian tour operators during the inauguration ceremony of the third National Tourism Fair 2066.

Vijay Thakur, president of Indian Association of Tour Operators said Nepal and India can coordinate and develop common marketing strategies to develop joint tourism.

“Both the nations have great possibilities for tourism enhancement and together they can boost the sector,” said Thakur. He added that India is willing to grant scholarship to students in the south Asian region studying tourism and hotel management studies to build up and develop manpower in the tourism sector. He also said that to promote South Asian tourism, 2010 can be declared the SAARC tourism year.

Meanwhile, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) Sharat Singh Bhandari urged all political parties to show concern for the tourism sector and coordinate with each other for its development.

MoTCA secretary Nagendra Prasad Ghimire said the National Tourism Fair is good enough for the promotion of the tourism sector. The international fair can also promote south Asian tourist destinations and build up good relations with the south east Asian region for tourism. “There is a need for positive flow of information regarding security development in Nepal,” added Ghimire.

Speaking on the occasion, UFTAA president William Tan opined that the tourism fair and foeign travel rmart can be helpful for tourism awareness and destination promotion. It can help develop networking and brand promotion of a country or place as a tourist destination.

Nepal Tourism Board for the

promotion of internal tourism and develop rural tourism has has organised the third National Tourism Fair 2066 from November 23 to 25 at Bhrikuti Mandap.

The fair is focusing on the preservation of rural tourism and create networking between tourism entrepreneurs. It has 83 stalls.