Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jeevan Ram Shrestha has assured to take forward phase-wise programme to revive the country’s tourism sector hit hard by COVID-19 pandemic.
At a discussion with stakeholders at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Minister Shrestha pledged to revive tourism through programmes in partnership with the private sector.
According to him, the Tourism Revival Committee’s report would be considered to formulate programmes for revival of tourism sector while recommendations furnished by today’s discussion would be heeded as well. The Minister also reaffirmed policy-level reforms to make the Ministry’s and its subordinate agencies performance more effective and result-oriented.
He called for cooperation from the stakeholders to curb the anomalies prevailing in the tourism sector at present. Hotel Association Nepal (HAN)’s President Srijana Rana viewed that the State should recognize tourism sector as a priority industry and introduce programmes to attract more investment to the sector.
Similarly, Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) President Khum Bahadur Subedi emphasized tourism promotion at international level. Nepal Mountaineering Association Chairperson Nimanuru Sherpa pressed for a clear and concrete policy in mountaineering tourism to streamline mountaineering sector and other adventure tourist attractions.
The discussion programme was attended by tourism entrepreneurs such as Deepak Mahat, Kumar Khadka among others who presented their views on the challenges and opportunities in the tourism sector.
