By CB Adhikary
Kathmandu, December 31: All preparations for the Visit Nepal Year (VNY) 2020 campaign, which is going to formally begin tomorrow i.e January 1, 2020, have been completed.
Organizing a press meet, Visit Nepal Year Secretariat has said that all the preparations for its grand inauguration ceremony to be held at Dasharath Stadium in the capital have been completed. President Bidya Devi Bhandari would inaugurate the campaign in the ceremony while Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is also scheduled to make a special address. Vice President, former prime ministers, leaders of different political parties, tourism ministers from different countries, lawmakers, chiefs of diplomatic missions in Nepal and other dignitaries will be present in the program.
Similarly, the VNY 2020 would also be inaugurated at main places of all seven states on the same day, according to the Secretariat. It would be inaugurated at stadium of Biratnagar in State-1, Janaki Temple premises in State-2, Sauraha of Chitwan in State-3, Lakeside of Pokhara in Gandaki State, Thakurdwar of Bardiya in State-5, Bulbul Lake of Surkhet in Karnali State and Dhangadhi of Sudurpaschim State.
Likewise, the campaign would be inaugurated at Nepali Embassies situated in foreign countries on January 7. Similarly, it would be inaugurated through Non-Resident Nepali Association in the countries where there is no Nepali Embassy, according to the Secretariat.
Speaking at the meet, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai said that he has spent most of his time for Visit Nepal Year after his appointment as the minister on July 1, 2019.
He shared that he held discussions with more than 100 different government and non-government organizations to make the Visit Nepal year a grand success. “The government has put tourism at the top priority to take the country towards the path of economic prosperity and all Nepalese should actively participate to tourism development as tourism sector is the appropriate means to materialize the national campaign ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali.'”
The Tourism Minister further said that making the world know that Nepal is one of the popular tourist destinations in the world and informs the investors of the world that Nepal is a suitable country for the investment is the main objective of the Visit Nepal Year.”
Saying national unity forged in course of celebrating Visit Nepal Year 2020 has made him excited, Minister Bhattarai said commitments made by all sectors in course of making it a success have added more energy.
He also extended gratitude to ministers of different ministries, Visit Nepal Year Secretariat, different government bodies, private organisations, among others for their support in course of preparation of Visit Nepal Year-2020 and appealed for their support and participation in days ahead too. The government has targeted to bring in 2 million tourists in the year 2020 by observing Visit Nepal Year.
In addition, the government would mark the coming decade as the tourism decade with an aim to uplift the nation’s economic growth through tourism.
On the occasion, Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Kedar Bahadur Adhikari said that the government will announce tourism decade after the six month of the Visit Nepal Year, 2020. The tourism decade would be initiated as a campaign focusing on the vital infrastructure development.
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