Nepal Tourism Minister Unveils One-Year Work Plan at Press Conference

The newly-appointed Nepal Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Yogesh Bhattarai rolled out his one-year work plan for the development of the tourism sector at a press conference he organized on August 26, 2019.

Informing media at the press meet, Bhattarai said that drafts for new acts will be prepared soon. He also told media that he is ready to complete all the listed tasks within the given time and efficiently, as he has a strong team to rely on.

“In order to bring about changes in the tourism, culture and civil aviation sector, we have to usher in changes to our legal provisions and policies. In this one year, cultural, tourism and civil aviation acts will be amended and we will draft new provisions if needed.” he said.

Revealing his plans for Nepal’s Civil Aviation sector, the Minister said that domestic passengers above 70 years will receive a discount of 50 percent on their airfare. The Tourism Ministry will hold talks with related stakeholders to implement this policy, said Bhattarai.

Minister Bhattarai also said that the Ministry will form new legal provisions and improve old policies in line with the European Union air safety standards to remove Nepal from the air safety blacklist.

Among other plans for Nepal’s Tourism Sector, the Tourism Minister will introduce the following:

• Conduct a feasibility study for setting up a flying school of international standards to produce skilled manpower
• Provide incentive packages to airline companies operating flights to Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA)
• Commencement of site clearance for Nijgadh International Airport (NIA) by the end of this year
• Issue Expression of Interest (EoI) to develop inactive airports as air sports activity centers
• Provide incentives to airline companies that operate flights to and from Tribhuvan International Airport after midnight, since the airport is capable of operating for 24 hours

“Moreover, new VIP movement criteria will be introduced at TIA to address the congestion and traffic jams during VIP movements,” Bhattarai added.

Plans for Visit Nepal Year 2020

With the aim to make the Visit Nepal Year (VNY) 2020 successful, the Tourism Ministry is planning the following:

• Organizing the Global Tourism Ministers’ Conclave in collaboration with United Nations World Tourism Organization under the theme New Year in Nepal
• Promote the VNY logo on boarding passes, baggage stickers and visa stamps for domestic and international flights
• Launching the One Nepali Send One Foreign Friend campaign in association with the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) and VNY Secretariat
• Organizing the Tourism Investment Summit for completing the work of Tourism Satellite Account, providing tourism-sector related skill-based training and installing the GPS tracking system for securing the mountaineering sector and making it more reliable.

Through the Global Tourism Minister’s Conclave, the Nepal Tourism Ministry plans to inaugurate VNY 2020 in the presence of various countries tourism ministers.

With so many promising initiatives in line, the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign is likely to achieve its target of 2 million tourists.

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• Newly-Appointed Tourism Minister Bhattarai Speaks of Role and Future Plans