A majority of tours and travel agencies operating in Nepalgunj have been found running their businesses without mandatory approval from the Tourism Division Office. An inspection conducted by the Tourism Division Office, Kohalpur, on Wednesday revealed that seven travel agencies were functioning without the required licenses.
During the monitoring of 15 agencies based in Nepalgunj, several, including Kedar Nath Tours & Travels, Badrinath Tours & Travels, and Durgeshwari Travels Pvt. Ltd, were found operating without authorization, according to Bal Krishna Chaudhary, an officer at the Tourism Division Office.
Unauthorized Operations in Major Market Areas
The inspection covered tours and travel agencies located in BP Chowk, Dhamboji Chowk, Pushpalal Chowk, and Ranjha. The monitoring team found that many businesses, especially in the Pushpalal Chowk area, were only registered as private limited companies but had not obtained mandatory tourism licenses.
“As per the law, travel agencies must obtain permission from the Tourism Office before operating,” said Mukti Prasad Pandey, Acting Chief of the Tourism Division Office. “However, most agencies in the Pushpalal Chowk area were found running their business with only company registration certificates.”
Agencies Given Two Months to Comply
Pandey added that agencies lacking proper documentation were made aware of the procedures and instructed to complete their registration and licensing process before continuing operations. The office has provided a two-month window for compliance.
Officer Chaudhary explained that to operate legally, travel agencies must first register with the Office of the Company Registrar, obtain a PAN number from the Internal Revenue Office, and then register with the Cottage and Small Industries Office before applying for a tourism license.
Misleading Signboards and Unregulated Practices Detected
The inspection team also found that some travel companies in Pushpalal Chowk were using misleading or unauthorized signboards to attract customers, practices prohibited under the Industry Act. Mohan Gharti Magar, Acting Chief of the Cottage and Small Industries Office Nepalgunj, stated that businesses are not allowed to post deceptive signboards that confuse or mislead consumers.
NATTA Banke President Dilliraj Regmi informed that even airlines had reportedly provided ticketing portals to travel agencies whose registrations were incomplete or outdated, further contributing to operational irregularities.
Tourism Office Warns of Action Against Non-Compliance
Acting Chief Pandey said that the first phase of the operation involved raising awareness and issuing warnings. “If these agencies ignore the instructions and fail to regularize their operations within the given timeframe, we will proceed with legal action as per the law,” he said.
