Ilam, January 1

Five hotels in Ilam, the district headquarters, each provided accommodation to a tourist for one rupee a night. The discount package including a square meal for Re 1 was offered to a tourist who first booked the hotels yesterday, the eve of New Year 2020.

The drive aims to generate publicity about Visit Nepal Year 2020 throughout the world through tourists availing the discount, said Devi Poudel, chairperson of Hotel Entrepreneurs Association, Ilam.

Five lucky foreign tourists, including Japanese tourist Yukid Mitamura, availed the offer.

Chiyabari Cottage provided this offer to Mitamura.

Other hotels that offered the service include Green View Hotel, Summit Hotel, Hamro Pokhreli Hotel and Green City Guest House.

The tourists were also presented with certificates and declared goodwill ambassadors for Ilam’s tourism industry.

Proprietor of the Chiyabari Cottage Thewa Tamang said he was pleased to welcome the tourist availing the service.

The foreign tourists who took advantage of the offer also pledged to be involved in tourism publicity including that of Ilam.

Likewise, Suvechha Travels has offered to transport a foreign tourist travelling to Ilam from Kathmandu for free on the occasion of Visit Nepal 2020. The offer aimed at attracting tourists to Ilam lasts for seven days, beginning today.

Publicity rallies and corner meets were organised in Ilam bazaar at the initiative of students, police, Nepali Army and the locals.

On the occasion, Ilam Municipality Mayor Mahesh Basnet, tourism entrepreneurs and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ilam, extended invitations to domestic and foreign tourists to visit Ilam throughout the year.