Government officials and stakeholders reached a consensus to resolve legal, administrative, and infrastructural hurdles affecting tourists visiting Nepal.
They made the commitment during the National Tourism Dialogue held at Singha Durbar on Monday. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation had organized the event to gather inputs from federal, provincial, and private sector representatives and to finalize an action plan aimed at enhancing the overall tourism experience.
The plan includes proposals to end unnecessary hassles at immigration, ensure baggage security, and prevent mistreatment of tourists entering through land checkpoints.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli directed the authorities to extend warm hospitality to tourists and eliminate all forms of legal and administrative inconvenience. He also called for swift reforms in tourism infrastructure and urged efforts to lift the European Union's ban on Nepal’s aviation sector, including by restructuring the civil aviation regulatory body into separate licensing and oversight agencies.
Participants also agreed on the need for timely completion of key highway projects—including Kathmandu-Muglin-Pokhara and Butwal-Palpa-Pokhara sections—as well as better border entry processes, direct air connectivity with Europe, stronger global branding of Nepal, and a tourism master plan.
The dialogue called for restructuring Nepal Airlines Corporation, implementing the outcomes of the Sagarmatha Sambaad, and promoting quality investment, efficient human resource management, and simplified tax and currency exchange systems. Other key priorities include cleaning the Himalayas, improving digital systems, and strengthening coordination among agencies.
The ministry also presented an action plan based on private sector recommendations for further deliberation, aiming to address existing problems and propose sustainable solutions for tourism growth.
The event brought together federal ministers, provincial tourism ministers, senior government officials, and tourism industry representatives. – With inputs from RSS
