Stating that survival of tourism industry in the post-quake situation is difficult, BK Shrestha, president of Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), said that all stakeholders should take necessary measures to revive the industry and get the desired outcomes.According to tourism entrepreneurs, the post-earthquake period has become very painful for them as both international as well as domestic travelers have stopped traveling and many planned trips have been either cancelled or postponed.
"Effective execution of plans and policies are still missing. Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) should be made fully functional and accountable for rapid revival and growth of the industry," Shrestha said, speaking at the 44th Annual General Meeting of HAN on Thursday.
Shrestha underlined the need to make National Tourism Promotion Committee (NTPC) functional, quickly, build alternative international airports, and enhance service at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) - the only international airport.
At the program, hoteliers requested the government to arrange conessional loan for tourism entrepreneurs to revive their businesses.
Praising the role of tourism entrepreneurs for their tourism recovery efforts, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation said the work on construction of alternative airports is going on smoothly. "The government is ready to assist private sector for tourism recovery," he added.
Delivering his keynote speech on 'Revival of Tourism', Shankar Sharma, former vice chairman of National Planning Commission, stressed the need to launch effective promotional campaigns to regain the momentum in the post-quake situation.
During the program, Shrestha also handed over whitepaper on 'Tourism Revival in Nepal' to Minister Sherpa.
Related story
Kerala Tourism’s first STREET project inaugurated in Maravanthu...
