April 28: Experts have advised the government to start internal preparations for promoting domestic tourism to support the country’s economy which is reeling under the effect of lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

They were of the view that Nepal holds good potential for domestic tourism but the government has never given priority to this sector.

Speaking at a video conference organised by Excel Trip on Monday, the experts drew the attention of the government to channelize the budget allocated for the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign to promote internal tourism.

Tourism expert and hotel entrepreneur Karna Shakya said that Nepal has great potential for domestic tourism and the government must start preparation for it right away.

“We can reach the international tourism market through the regional market by making the domestic market its base,” said Shakya.

Meanwhile, former CEO of Nepal Tourism Board Deepak Raj Joshi said that the fact than no one has died of coronavirus in Nepal is a plus point for Nepal’s tourism industry. He said that the Nepalis’ propensity to spend is increasing and the tourism sector must capitalize on it to bail out the  sector which is currently under crisis due to coronavirus.

Similarly, First Vice President of Hotel Association of Nepal Binayak Shah informed that the hotel entrepreneurs are preparing to launch special packages for domestic tourists.