Kathmandu, August 3-The government has come up with a five-year action plan to attract 2.5 million foreign tourists in the country in the next five years. Such ambitious plan was forwarded with aim to leverage the tourism sector as a tool for the socio-economic development.
The government believes that if the targeted number of travelers visits Nepal, the contribution of the sector to the national GDP could well reach 10 percent in the coming five years.
The action plan, unveiled by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation on August 2, basically talks about carrying out reforms in the tourism sector in terms of policy and infrastructure. It has mentioned about expanding the fleet capacity of the national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines Corporation, and making it competitive in the international aviation market. Similarly, the action plan sets a target to increase the existing capacity of Tribhuvan International Airport by double and accomplish 50 percent of the construction works of Nijgadh International Airport in the next five years. It also aims to operate Gautam Buddha International Airport and Pokhara Regional International Airport- both of them are now under construction- within one year and three years respectively.
Identifying and promoting 100 new tourist destinations through the collaboration between local and state governments, establishing unique museums in all seven provinces and attracting both domestic and foreign investment in the tourism sector are other highlights of the action plan.
