Kathmandu, December 4

Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai has requested ambassadors of different countries to coordinate with the Nepal government to make Visit Nepal Year (VNY) 2020 campaign successful.

The minister had summoned ambassadors of 31 countries at Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) today to identify ways to ensure success of the campaign.

As per a statement issued today by MoCTCA, Tourism Minister Bhattarai requested the ambassadors to promote Nepal in their respective countries and help Nepal government to achieve its target of welcoming two million tourists in 2020.

As Christmas and New Year is nearing, the minister requested ambassadors to encourage citizens of their home country to celebrate both occasions in Nepal. He also reminded them that Nepal is preparing for the grand opening of VNY 2020 campaign on January 1.

Minister Bhattarai further said that currently the tourism sector has three per cent contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and MoCTCA has targeted to increase its contribution to GDP to 10 per cent.

Likewise, the current per day expenditure per tourist is $44 and Nepal government has aimed to raise the amount to $80.

Similarly, the government has targeted to bring in 3.5 million tourists annually in the country within five years, as per the statement.

The minister also informed ambassadors about the government’s special packages for the airline companies to operate flights to and from Gautam Buddha International Airport.

In the meantime, Coordinator of VNY Secretariat Suraj Vaidya made a presentation on the programmes and plans of the government for VNY campaign in 2020.

As stated in the statement, ambassadors from different countries responded to the request of the tourism minister positively and expressed commitment to support Nepal government from their side to make this campaign successful.