It has been demanded to recognize the hotel business as a tourism industry and provide services accordingly. It was requested to make arrangements for the implementation of various programs announced by the government through monetary policy, concessional loans and rescheduling through tourism industry.
At the ninth annual general meeting of the Federation of Hotel Entrepreneurs held in Bhairahawa today, the entrepreneurs demanded to formulate a tourism-friendly policy by coordinating with the tourism entrepreneurs as the prosperity of the country is possible through tourism promotion. He urged the government to immediately implement the decision of sending budget allowance to the civil servants for 10 days to various tourist destinations in Nepal for the rehabilitation of hoteliers who were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the budget of the last fiscal year.
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Bahadur Ale said that the government was working by giving priority to tourism promotion. Stating that the construction work of infrastructure in the tourist area is in full swing, he said that the Gautam Buddha Airport being constructed in Bhairahawa is being prepared for operation within two months. He said that there will be calibration flight as soon as the weather improves due to problems in power supply.
Stating that his attention has been drawn to the complaint of the businessmen that there is a problem in registering the small and medium scale hotels, Minister Ale expressed his commitment to find a quick solution from the discussion. He urged the local businessmen to monitor the ongoing development works in the tourism sector.
Hiradhwaj Shah, president of the Federation of Hotel Entrepreneurs, urged the government to take special initiative to overcome the dilemma of whether the new variant of Coronavirus would create lockdown again as the hotel business affected by COVID-19 was gradually improving. He also requested the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Citizens to amend the Tourism Act as it is not business friendly.
Amrit Bhujel, the outgoing president of the federation, said that the hotels should be recognized as a productive industry and services should be provided accordingly. Former Minister suggested the government to work for policy reforms in the tourism sector. Constituent Assembly member Aditya Narayan Kasaudhan urged for making arrangements for easy movement of tourists from the border.
FNCCI Founder President Madhav Nepal said that the government should formulate appropriate policy to establish businesses that are being displaced due to coronavirus pandemic. "We have raised the voice that we should be considered tourism industry but we have not been recognized as such yet. The tourism entrepreneurs should also get all the facilities that the industrialists get,” he said.
Stating that Nepal is preparing to build a model hotel in all the provinces to give a glimpse of Mini Nepal, Nepal informed that if the land is acquired at the rate of 300 hectares, hotels reflecting the culture of different castes, religions and languages will be operated. At the meeting, FNCCI Rupendehi President Pitamber Neupane, Industry and Trade Association Rupendehi President Anil Kumar Gyawali and Lumbini Press Club President Naresh KC said that the construction of Lumbini Master Plan and construction of Gautam Buddha International Airport should be completed on time.
Deputy Chief of Siddhartha Municipality Uma Kafle, UCPN-M District Coordinator Raju Gurung, Nepali Congress District Member Hari Aryal and others said that the government's monetary policy should be facilitated and relief should be given to the entrepreneurs.
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