Plans for tourism development as featured in major parties' election manifestos

By CB Adhikari, Kathmandu, May 5: The country's tourism sector which was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic has started recovering gradually. Foreign tourist arrivals have also seen a gradual rise at present.    

Tourism activities have started to pick up and many tourists can be seen in the main tourist destinations including the federal capital, Kathmandu in recent days. Statistics shared by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) show that 58 thousand 348 foreign tourists entered Nepal in the month of April alone. This is an increase of by160 per cent compared to the same month last year. Twenty-two thousand 450 foreign tourists visited Nepal in April 2021.    

The tourist arrival in the month of April this year is the highest number after the pandemic. The number of tourist arrivals is slowly increasing since the first month of this year. The tourist arrival figure is 16,975 on January, 19 thousand 766 in February and more than 42,000 in March of this year.    

The number of foreign tourists has increased also because this is the mountain climbing season in Nepal. Foreigners in large numbers are coming here for mountaineering and trekking purposes as well since this is a suitable time for these activities.    

The 15th five-year plan has included tourism as the main basis of the national economy and the country has adopted the policy of developing the most attractive tourism destinations and providing quality services.    

The country is going to the local election on May 13. In this connection, the political parties have launched their respective election manifesto. The major political parties have outlined strategies in their election manifesto according to the top priority of tourism as a strong pillar of the national economy.    

The parties have made a commitment through the election manifesto that tourism would be given high priority as an important source of national income and raise the living standard of the people while establishing Nepal as a unique tourism destination in the world.    

Parties such as the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajbadi Party and the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party have brought ambitious plans for tourism promotion through their respective election manifestoes.    

NC stresses integrated, systematic tourism development    

The Nepali Congress aims to ensure integrated and systematic development of the tourism sector in the next decade and establish it as a leading factor in the nation’s economy. The NC election manifesto pledges to improve people’s living standards by establishing Nepal as a special touristic destination and recognising and proving the tourism business as a significant tool for promoting national income.    

The CPN (UML) aims to create jobs and advance towards prosperity through the promotion of locally recognized areas and the development of tourism. It assures the conservation of touristic natural heritages, natural heritages, of the promotion of historic and cultural heritage and of the promotion of local festivals and cultural events like cultural festivals.    

In addition to this, the party envisages a policy of promoting ‘eco-tourism’. The development and management of a park in each ward, the establishment of hotels and homestay facility at the local level, and the development of trekking routes, cable car services, paragliding, bungee jumping and helipad in cooperation with the private sector are featured as the priorities of the party in the election manifesto.    

CPN (Unified Socialist) focuses on creating job opportunities through tourism    

The CPN (Unified Socialist) in its election manifesto has pledged to boost economic activities and create job opportunities by attracting tourists, domestic and foreign, through the maximum utilisation of local resources.    

Besides, it will construct and set up tourism infrastructures like tourism grams, home-stay facilities, tourism roads and trails and conserve and promote historic and religious tourism.    

Tourism to be made the basis for income generation: CPN (Maoist Center)    

Similarly, the CPN (Maoist Center) has devised a policy to help people to generate income through the production of tourism-related activities like home-stay facilities and a minimum of 50 per cent of incomes generated from tourism activities should be spent at the respective local level.    

The Loktantrik Samajbadi Party has a plan to identify and expose additional tourist destinations and construct infrastructures to promote tourism.    

Websites and other social sites will be used to publicize tourist destinations. There will be cooperation with the provincial and federal governments for the construction, protection and publicity of tourist destinations.

Janata Samajbadi Party to chalk out a five-year plan for tourism development at every local level    

Similarly, the Janata Samajbadi Party has adopted a policy for every local level to make a five-year action plan wherein domestic and foreign tourists will be attracted by expanding and utilising home-stay facilities and trekking and conserving and protecting ecology, religious areas, lakes and rivers.