With various infrastructure projects pending across the country, the Nepal Tourism Ministry has postponed its Visit Nepal Year 2018 Campaign to 2020 that targets at attracting 1.5 million tourists.

The Ministry cited low pace of road and airport upgradation projects, reconstruction of historical monuments and cultural heritage sites as the reasons for postponement.

“As we had little time to make preparations for the national campaign, we have decided to reschedule it. However, the ministry will launch a massive marketing campaign in 2019 before starting Visit Nepal Year 2020,” says Ghanshyam Upadhyaya, Tourism Ministry Spokesperson.

Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and Lumbini’s Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) are among two infrastructure projects that were deferred until 2019.

While the USD 92 million TIA upgradation project was slated for completion in 2016, GBIA was planned for completion in December 2017. These two projects are getting delayed because of payment and contractor related issues.

Other projects include upgradation of airport in Bhairahawa, the gateway to the pilgrimage destination of Lumbini in south central Nepal, expansion of the Narayanghat-Mugling road, Kathmandu Ring Road Improvement Project and the reconstruction of monuments & heritage sites damaged in the 2015 earthquake.

Nepal is also witnessing a lot of hotel construction activity, which is expected to add 4,000 star category rooms to the country by 2020. A dozen hotels are investing more than Rs 40 billion in the industry.

The post Tourism Ministry Postpones Vision Nepal Year 2018 Campaign appeared first on Nepali Sansar.