KATHMANDU, Feb 5: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai has said the government has been working maintaining coordination with all the stakeholders to avoid any shortcomings for making the Visit Nepal Year campaign successful.

Speaking in the House of Representatives, International Relations Committee's meeting today, he said home work was done to spread encouraging message in the international level for promoting Nepal's tourism.

"The unexpected coronavirus outbreak has had some impact. We have shortage of resources and human resources for the Visit Year. Nevertheless, the sanitation works, construction of physical infrastructures and works at the Immigration Office of the Tribhuvan International Airport were going on vigorously," he said.

In the context of promotion of tourism in the country, he said, 2020 has been taken as a year for learning and acquiring experience while the decade from 2020 to 2030 is being observed as the Tourism Decade, being based on the work plan prepared by experts.

Former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal described tourism as the backbone for the country's economic development and suggested to the government to prepare programmes for the promotion of tourism in coordination with all three levels of government.

He also stressed the need for improving the facilities for tourists, referring to the potholes, mud and dust on the street in Thamel, the tourist hub in Kathmandu. He said this got to be improved and the tourists should be treated in a civilized manner. "We should provide safety, easy and accessible physical facilities and a clean and green environment to the tourists so that they will feel like extending their stay in Nepal" he added.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh said the condition of roads, the broken sewer and potholes at Thamel have raised a question mark over whether the preparations for the Visit Year were adequate or not. He stressed on constructing a heritage trail connecting all the heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley enlisted as World Heritage Sites.

Former Tourism Minister Bhim Bahadur Rawal underscored the need of creating favourable environment and good governance for the growth of tourism industry which supports in boosting the national economy as well as the country's relations with other countries. He said that there should not be disparity on air fare for foreign tourists and domestic tourists, suggesting to the Ministry to maintain uniformity in air fare.

Pushpa Bhusal, Sudan Kirati, Uma Regmi, Sarala Yadav, Renuka Gurung, Narad Muni Rana, Deepak Prakash Bhatta, Prem Prasad Tulachan, among the committee members, reiterated that all the three levels of governments should keep the tourism promotion programmes in their priority and maintain coordination in this regard.

 
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