Kathmandu, November 22

Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai said invitations had been sent to tourism ministers of 40 countries to visit Nepal to help make Visit Nepal Year-2020 a success.

Minister Bhattarai said ideas of tourism promotion would be exchanged among the ministers from different countries. Various renowned personalities, including political icons from across the world, have been invited to make the VNY 2020 successful, according to Bhattarai. Programmes will be organised in all seven provinces, diplomatic missions and in Kathmandu on January 1 to ensure participation of political parties, tourism entrepreneurs and employees.

At a programme organised at Reporters’ Club in the capital today, he mentioned that a separate office was established targeting the Visit Nepal Year 2020 and thorough discussions were held under his leadership time and again. On the occasion, he said that the government had set a target to start air service at Gautam Buddha International Airport within coming March as 90 per cent works of the airport was complete.

Moreover, Minister Bhattrai informed that works were underway to complete the construction of Pokhara airport within 2021 and the government had set a target to start construction work of Nijgadh airport within five years.