May 19 : Tourism entrepreneurs have expressed their disappointment over the lack of stimulus packages in the recently presented government’s policies and programmes for the revival of the travel and trade industry being paralysed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. Issuing a joint press statement yesterday, they belonging to various tourism related business organisations did so.
President of the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), Khum Bahadur Subedi, said that it was regrettable that the government did not give the needed priority to the ailing tourism industry .
“Tourist entrepreneurs invested a lot of money to upgrade the tourism services and facilities targeting the the Visit Nepal Year 2020. Since the very national campaign has already been called off due to the pandemic, such investment is also at stake.”
President of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) Achyut Guragain ,said it was the government’s main responsibility to protect the investment of the tourism entrepreneurs and thereby revive and resurrect the tourism industry which has been weakened due to the adverse impact of COVID-19. “It is a matter of regret that the government’s policy and programmes for the next fiscal year has failed to incorporate any concrete plan, policy and programmes for reinvigorating the tourism industry ad the entrepreneurs,” he said.
President of Tourist Bus Association of Nepal, Ishwar Sharma, underscored the need for the government to bring short-term and long-term special relief package through the budget for the coming fiscal year to address the demands of tourism industry.
