KATHMANDU: It’s official now! The year-long mega campaign to hoist Nepal on the world tourism map in the most ambitious manner till date, Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY) will be launched on January 14, 2011, as per a decision to this effect taken by NTY 2011 Coordination Committee.
The committee will be inviting 22 tourism ministers from different Asian countries for the inaugural ceremony, which is expected to showcase Nepal’s beautiful culture and traditions apart from its famed natural beauty. And, the campaign will carry an unifying message — Together for Tourism.
“The major highlight of the inauguration ceremony will be mutual support and coordination between different Asian countries for tourism promotion,” said Dhruba Narayan Shrestha, coordinator for the tourism sector at FNCCI and member of NTY 2011 working committee.
Working towards a target to attract 3 lakh Indian tourists, the committee will organise a series of promotional programmes along the Indian borders in October-November. “We have planned promotional campaigns at Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Raxual, Sitamarhi and Sunauli among other Indian cities along the border,” said Shrestha.
In order to facilitate visitor movement not only for NTY 2011 but also for the future, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) with the help of private sector will develop necessary infrastructure to provide a single-window mechanism for immigration, customs, transportation formalities for the visitors at different entry points along the Indo-Nepal border. With a view to intensifying tourist activities along the border, food courts, handicraft shops and other tourism-related attractions would be created in these bordering areas.
According to Shrestha, a study has been undertaken at different entry points such as Birgunj, Biratnagar, Bhairahawa, Kakarbhitta, Dhangadi, Pashupati Nagar, Janakpur and Nepalgunj along the border with India.
NTY 2011 has targeted to attract 3 lakh Indian tourists and one lakh Chinese tourists in 2011. On an average, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Nepal is 35,000. Tourism is the largest industry in Nepal and also the largest source of foreign exchange. With a surge in the arrival of Indian tourists, new Indian airlines have planned flights to Kathmandu.
According to sources in tourism industry, Indian tourists are quality tourists, with better spending capacity. Indian tourists spend 40 per cent more than tourists from other countries. The total number of Indian flights to Kathmandu is 57. Nepal’s major source markets, India and China, have registered a double-digit growth, which has given boost to the tourism sector in the country.
According to the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) Immigration Office data, visitor arrivals from India in May have increased by 4.3 per cent, which showed a sustained growth this year, except a soft decline in April. |
