KATHMANDU.
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai has instructed Nepal tourism Board (NTB) to prepare infrastructures with a capacity to accommodate 500 thousand tourists around the Kathmandu Valley.
Minister Bhattarai gave this directive in a meeting with NTB’s director at the Ministry today. He directed NTB to study the feasibility for developing the infrastructures to accommodate 500 thousand visitors, trekking route and cycling tourism around the valley and submit a report to the Ministry. He also urged the Board to soon establish its branches at the province level in coordination with the state government as well as to prepare digital publicity materials in Nepali, Hindi, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese and Spanish language.
The minister also called on the Board to maintain frugality by cutting on unnecessary expenditure, including the travel expenses in the country and abroad. He urged the NTB officials to prepare the virtual tour package including in them publicity material related to world heritage sites, mountains, trekking, wetland, museums and national parks, among others during the present COVID-19 pandemic.
Moreover, the Tourism Minister called upon the Board to conduct research, prepare plans and publish and disseminate reports and documentaries on touristic places. He directed it to also start psycho-social counselling service to address problems faced by tourism entrepreneurs and workers due to the coronavirus pandemic and to stop them from quitting their profession.
Minister Bhattarai also on the occasion stressed the need of activating the Tourism Desks set up in various countries and expanding the network with tourism-related organisations within the country and abroad. He urged the NTB to chalk out plans for reviving the tourism sector after the pandemic situation is over. Tourism Minister also urged the Board to conduct study and research regarding the possibility of health, education and sports tourism in Nepal. On the occasion, NTB executive director Dr Dhananjaya Regmi briefed Minister Bhattarai on the progress made by the Board in Fiscal year 2019/20 and about the programmes planned for Fiscal year 2020/21.
