BIRATNAGAR: Chief Minister of Province 1, Sherdhan Rai, has said that a target has been set to welcome 500,000 foreign tourists in the province within the next five years.

At an interaction organised by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation here today, on services by airline companies and future plans for airport operation, Chief Minister Rai said that necessary infrastructures would have to be developed to attract foreign tourists in the region.

He further informed that the government has been carrying out activities with a target to bring in tourists of neighbouring countries in the province after developing Biratnagar airport into a provincial one.

CM Rai said that necessary activities including land acquisition would be carried out and other problems would be resolved for the expansion of Biratnagar airport within the next six months. Different airline companies operating their services in the province had participated in the interaction.

Various decisions, including formulating a master plan to extend the runway at Biratnagar airport to 3,000 metres, operating mountain flights from Biratnagar airport, constructing commercially important person (CIP) room at the airport, and operating air services to Patna, Delhi and Mumbai of India from Biratnagar, were made during the interaction.

Likewise, the chief minister also stressed the need of putting up boards with pictures of tourism sites, special features of the province, as well as other related information.

Social Affairs Minister Jeevan Ghimire, and Minister for Industry, Tourism, Forests and Environment, Jagadish Prasad Kusiyat were also present on the occasion.