HEADLINE NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

Programmes announced to boost tourism industry

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Apr. 16: The government today formally accepted programmes for Destination Nepal Campaign (DNC) 2002-2003, a promotional tourism extravaganza which aims to halt the downslide in the travel business.

Various committees formed for the campaign have submitted the programmes for the tourism bonanza that was declared more than three months ago.

The main objective of this campaign is to minimise the negative impact of the present situation on the tourism industry and to stop the decline in tourist arrivals, Bal Bahadur KC, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation said accepting the DNC programmes. "The idea is to increase the number of visitors every possible way."

The past thee months have witnessed a 50 per cent decrease in the number of tourists compared to the corresponding period last year.

The campaign aims to improve policy and infrastructure for sustainable and coordinated development, said KC. "We also have the concept of giving continuity to this campaign for five years."

At the heart of the campaign is the golden jubilee celebration of the first human ascent on Mountain Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest). "Under this theme many adventure and entertaining games will be held and all the Everest summiteers and famous foreigners who have contributed to Nepal's mountain tourism will be honoured at the national level," said the minister.

A plan is underway to establish a training institution for mountain tourism and mountaineering. Major travel agents, journalists, international airlines' chiefs and popular personalities who have helped promot the Nepalese travel trade will be invited for a familiarisation trip.

Air service agreements with China and other countries will be signed while the arrangement of surface transport for tourists coming from China and India will be simplified.

There will be special tourism promotional programmes in Chinese cities, the minister said. Nepal and China signed an agreement last year, allowing Chinese tourists to visit the country. Chinese nationals can visit only those countries which are recognised as outbound destinations by China. The government, in line with the Chinese Government's demand, has already nominated 78 travel agents to handle Chinese tourists.

The minister said that the DNC has incorporated non-governmental organisations, the private sector, and local agencies to implement its programmes. "Very soon we will be liaising with them"

In this fiscal year, the government has allocated a Rs 22.5 million budget for the campaign, according to KC who unveiled the logo of the DNC this afternoon. The logo is festooned with a Buddhist Stupa that has for the background a red sun with the words: Mystical Kingdom, destination Nepal.

The DNC was originally intended for 2002 only. Later, the government decided to stretch it until 2003. Nepal has organised only one tourism extravaganza so far – the Visit Nepal Year 1998. That event aimed to pull in 500,000 tourists, a target which was met, according to government officials.

However, the DNC does not have any target as of now, the minister said.

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