Entrepreneurs hopeful of implementation of new rules to ease tourists

Tourism entrepreneurs in Nepal have expressed their hope that the government will take the decision to address their demand to revive the tourism sector.

Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) Central President Achyut Sharma Guragain told NepalNews that the government has been working out to meet the demands of tourism entrepreneurs.

Tourism entrepreneurs associated with NATTA and hoteliers associated with Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) have suggested facilitating "On Arrival Visa" to ease the entry of travellers and waiving off of the mandatory quarantine for the vaccinated travellers producing the negative RT-PCR report.

Since the tourism sector in the country has been hit hard due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many tourism entrepreneurs have ruined their businesses.

NATTA Central President Guragain informed that the entrepreneurs have submitted a memo to the Minister for Finance Janardhan Sharma and urged to address their demands. He also informed that the Council of Ministers has considered their demands and that the cabinet meeting will be held to discuss and address the demands of tourism entrepreneurs within two days.

Although previously COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC) was responsible to recommend the government in formulating rules regarding the prevention of COVID-19, with the revoke of CCMC, Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal, Shanker Das Bairagi is responsible to report to the Cabinet.

Guragain expressed his hope that the cabinet decision would address their demands made to revive the sector.

Likewise, Hotel Asociation Nepal (HAN) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tek Bahadur Mahat said, "The associations have jointly appealed to the government to ease the facility for travellers and now it is up to the government to address our demand. We are looking forward to learning about the Cabinet decision."

The tourism entrepreneurs and stakeholders concerned have suggested the government taking initiative to remove Nepal from the "Red Zone" list that many countries have disclosed. They have also demanded the government to scrap the quarantine provisions for the tourists who have received COVID vaccines and others having negative RT-PCR reports.

Likewise, the government has been suggested implementing a law defining Nepali nationals also as tourists citing the importance of domestic tourists.

Tourism entrepreneurs have also demanded immediate implementation of the government’s previous decision to send its employees on a 10-day tour across the country in order to promote domestic tourism.

The government has also been suggested bringing the provision to the law that would allow Nepalis also to use vehicles with green number plates supposed to be used by foreign tourists only.

Nepal has witnessed a slight influx of the tourist with the beginning of the autumn season that is suitable for climbing the mountains.

As many as 25 teams have set out on expeditions to attempt to climb mountains this season.