July 31: Stakeholders have expressed solidarity with the programmes announced by the government for the revival of the tourism sector. They had been demanding government intervention in revitalizing the tourism sector that has been badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The government is now preparing to announce the Tourism Decade.

The government will be making necessary preparations till the end of 2022 in order to announce the Tourism decade from 2023 to 2033, informed Hom Prasad Luitel, joint secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

“This year is about to end and so we will make necessary preparations to announce the Tourism Decade,” said Luitel, adding, “We will first plan what we will be doing throughout the next decade and then make an announcement next year.”

The government has also included development of hill station in its plan. According to Luitel, the ministry has written a letter to the Nepal Tourism Board to prepare a plan to develop hill station and submit it within a week. He said that the NTB itself will prepare a separate plan for the development of hill station.

The government is planning to conduct a feasibility study about developing hill stations in Pathibhara, Shey Phoksundo, Khaptad and Rara in collaboration with the provinces, local governments and private sector in line with the principle of diversification of tourism sector.

Private sector stakeholders say that they are ready to invest if the government prepares necessary infrastructures needed for developing hill stations.

Hoteliers of Kathmandu are also ready to invest in hill stations. One of the hoteliers told New Business Age that they are ready to invest if the government sets up infrastructures such as roads, electricity and drinking water facility.

The arrival of tourists in Nepal had declined by percent in 2020 compared to 2019. Nevertheless, the arrival of tourists has started improving since the beginning of 2022.

The tourism ministry has prepared a 58-point plan to revive the tourism industry and is working accordingly to implement it.

Senior Vice President of the Hotel Association of Nepal Binayak Shah says that the government’s announcement of plans to revive the tourism sector is a positive step.

“There was a need of a clear roadmap to revive the tourism sector and we wanted government’s cooperation in this regard,” said Shah, adding that they had given suggestions to the government about it. He further said that the government’s tourism revival plan should not be focused on garnering support for the upcoming election.

He says that the plan of announcing the Tourism Decade is an ambitious plan. He says that government announces plans but the implementation part is mostly weak.

The ministry has also announced to open new peaks for expedition under its tourism revival plan. So far, the government has opened  peaks for expedition. As per the plan, government is preparing to open additional peaks between 5,800 meters and 8,000 meters. Neema Nuru Sherpa, president of Nepal Mountaineering Association, says that this decision has opened new avenues in the tourism sector.