Nepal on Monday formally launched "Ghumphir Barsa 2073" or Travel Year based on Nepal calendar year 2073 BS (Bikram Sambat) that began on April 13 in order to promote domestic tourism.
As the Himalayan country's tourism industry struggles to recover from last year's earthquake and subsequent blockade in the country's southern border, the campaign is an effort to revive the flagging sector by encouraging Nepalese people to travel in various tourist destinations of the country.
Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli officially launched the campaign amid a function on Monday, urging domestic and international travelers to explore Nepal without hesitation.
"Although we suffered a devastating earthquake last year, most of the tourism destinations are safe except few ones," said Oli.
He also urged foreign investors to take full advantage of the enormous potential and opportunities to invest in Nepal, asking them not to withdraw after negative rumours about the safety situation in Nepal.
It is the first time that the Himalayan country announced a Travel Year targeting to promote domestic tourism. Earlier, Nepal had implemented "Visit Nepal 1998" and "Nepal Tourism Year 2011" targeting international visitors.
Tourist arrivals to Nepal fell to a six-year low of 538,970 in 2015, a sharp drop of 31.78 percent from 2014, after the April 25 earthquake and subsequent blockade kept visitors away.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the main tourism promotion body of Nepal, it would encourage the private sector to create special packages targeting domestic travelers. NTB has planned to help the private sector to promote the tour packages.
To make the travel year successful, the NTB has suggested an allocation of a separate budget for travel leave for the government employees. Besides, the tourism promotion body has also planned to encourage the corporate sector to provide travel leave holidays.
GMT 18:11 2017 Wednesday ,27 December
Foreign tourist numbers up 23% in Tunisia in 2017GMT 18:14 2017 Monday ,25 December
Riyadh tourism events attract over 200,000 visitors in 2017GMT 10:29 2017 Monday ,25 December
Abu Dhabi welcomes 443,000 hotel guests to record 16 percent rise during NovemberGMT 09:57 2017 Sunday ,24 December
World's largest amphibious aircraft takes off in ChinaGMT 18:03 2017 Saturday ,23 December
Four bidders vie for Austria's bankrupt Niki airlineGMT 11:08 2017 Friday ,22 December
First Ryanair strike sees delays, but no cancellations in GermanyGMT 18:06 2017 Saturday ,16 December
Israel strike to stop flights at Ben Gurion airportGMT 17:35 2017 Thursday ,14 December
TUI says new direction paying off despite profit slumpMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor