Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) launched an investigation on Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN). The department sent a "classified and important" letter to the association on November 23 which sought information regarding the financial conduct of the association.
TAAN entered into troublesome situation after the department wrote a letter to the association alleging them of financial transparency. Allegations of revenue misappropriations and lack of financial transparency hit the umbrella organization of entrepreneurs of tourism sector which contributes about a half to the national economy.
DRI asked TAAN to submit details about sales of Trekkers' Information Management Systems (TIMS) application forms between Fiscal Year (FY) 2015/16 and FY 2019/20. Prior to this, TAAN was enlisted for colluding with Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) in creating fraudulent accounts regarding the sales of TIMS. With the suspicion of embezzlement of TIMS revenue, DRI has asked the association to produce related documents within seven days.
DRI demanded information related to the conduct of TAAN between FY 2015/16 and 2019/20 under five topics. The five topics include number of TIMS cards obtained by TAAN from NTB, number of TIMS cards distributed by TAAN, fees collected by TAAN from the distribution of TIMS, internal audit report of the association, details about various types of TIMS cards if they was distributed by TAAN. Turmoil within TAAN, which is an umbrella organization for more than 1,900 tourism entrepreneurs, was boosted by this incident.
Disputes have risen due to involvement of TAAN in personal gains and embezzlement rather than organizational activities and tourism promotion. Tourism entrepreneurs have commented that such activities have been casting the tourism sector in a bad light.
