KATHMANDU, April 5: The Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) Sunday requested Chiranjibi Nepal -- the newly-appointed governor of the central bank -- for help in reducing interest rates in loans to the hostility sector and for Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) to play the role of a facilitator in securing investment for the development of infrastructure related to the tourism sector of the country.
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According to a statement issued by the association on Sunday, the HAN delegation led by its president BK Shrestha, also sought NRB support in providing primary loans to tourism-related business as the sector had already been recognized by the government as a national priority industry.
The representatives of the hotel industry said that hotels, like airlines, should be allowed to take payment in foreign currencies. They also asked to be recognized as a 'Deemed Export Industry' and be eligible for cash incentives as the tourism industry was the top contributor of foreign currency; and for reduction in commission/fee to banks while taking payment through credit cards to 1 percent as the use of credit cards was very high in the industry.Responding to the demands of the hoteliers, Governor Nepal said NRB was positive about working for the development of the tourism industry. Saying that the hotel industry was the backbone of tourism, Nepal said HAN should take initiatives to address various problems related to the tourism industry here.
