Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Badri Pandey, has announced that efforts are underway to develop the hotel sector as a national priority industry. The process is being coordinated with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies.
Speaking at the National Assembly on Thursday, Minister Pandey shared that the Nepal Tourism Board has identified 100 tourist destinations, with the Department of Tourism working on infrastructure development at these locations. He reiterated the government’s goal of attracting 1.6 million tourists this year, emphasizing the implementation of the National Tourism Strategic Plan (2016-2025). This plan focuses on the development, expansion, and identification of tourist destinations, the construction of trekking routes, and the promotion of Nepal’s tourism products both domestically and internationally.
Minister Pande also mentioned ongoing discussions regarding the establishment of the Khaptad Development Area Fund. Acknowledging the potential of the tourism sector, he admitted that the budget allocated to it remains insufficient. However, he highlighted that the strategic tourism plan and the Nepal Tourism Decade initiative are set to help achieve the target of bringing in 1.6 million tourists this year. Programs like Eco Hill Tourism have been included in this year’s budget.
Minister Pandey stated that promotional activities, such as roadshows, targeting tourists from India and China are being carried out by the Tourism Board of Nepal. He also mentioned that a budget has been allocated for the identification of new tourist destinations and emphasized the importance of producing and developing skilled human resources in the tourism sector. Addressing the issue of uniformity in domestic airfare rates, Minister Pandey noted that the government has given this matter priority.
