KATHMANDU, AUGUST 27
Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jeevan Ram Shrestha has stressed the need to carry out tourism activities 12 months a year to attract more foreign tourists to the country.
Stating that the country's economy would be boosted through tourism, the minister said, "Nepal has diverse climate favourable to carry out tourism activities throughout the year. To attract foreign tourists, there is need to promote the country's religious, cultural and heritage sites at the international level."
He was addressing the meeting of the thematic committee on tourism at the federal, provincial and local levels organised here today by the ministry itself. All important tourist destinations in all seven provinces should be branded and sports tourism, health tourism and education and culture tourism prioritised and promoted, he said. For tourism development, there should be coordination among the government at all three levels, he said.
"Tourism is an important base for country's development. The country can achieve prosperity by prioritising tourism sector that helps boost the economy creating more job opportunities and bringing in foreign currency." Similarly, the ministry's Secretary Suresh Adhikari said the ministry had moved ahead with plans and programmes for policy reforms in line with the spirit and framework of federalism.
Also, Tourism Ministers of Province 1, Madhes Province and Sudurpaschim Province Khinu Langwa Limbu, Shatrudhan Mahato and Man Bahadur Dhami respectively underscored the need for cooperation and collaboration among all three tiers of the government for the development of tourism. Mayor of Pokhara Metropolis Dhan Raj Acharya demanded declaration of Pokhara as the tourist capital.
On the occasion, the ministry's Joint Secretary Tara Nath Adhikari and executive chief of Nepal Tourism Board Dhananjaya Regmi gave a presentation on tourism activities. Director General of the Department of Tourism Hom Prasad Luitel and Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Pradip Adhikari informed that the meeting participants talked about the service delivery of their respective institutions.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 28, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
