KATHMANDU: Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation Nagendra Pratap Ghimire has said that bandhs and strikes would send a negative message to the world.

At a programme organised at the Reporters Club here today, he said the Tourism Year 2011 would be observed as a national campaign as tourism sector has a key role in economic prosperity of the country.

He said programmes would be scheduled by discussing among politicians, tourism entrepreneurs and industrialists in February, as target has been set to attract one million tourists. Tourism entrepreneur Ramkaji Kone said as there was bandh on the New year’s day of Christian era, such activities cannot allow the tourism sector to flourish. Hotel entrepreneur Basant Mishra said as the profession was profit-oriented, the bandhs should be stopped to protect it.