Tourism Recovery Plan

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In its effort to revive the COVID-battered tourism industry, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has come up with a fresh tourism recovery plan. With the introduction of the 73-point ‘Nepal Tourism Sector Resurgence Action Plan-2079’, the ministry aims to recover the travel business. The government is also preparing to organise a decade-long Visit Nepal Campaign from 2023-33. With this ambitious plan, it seeks to give a boost to the ailing tourism sector. It is needless to mention that tourism is an important component of the national economy in terms of earning foreign currencies, and creating jobs and other livelihood opportunities. Recovering tourism could be of immense help for the country to deal with a myriad of existing economic challenges, including a gradual depletion of the foreign exchange reserve. Many tourism-related jobs have been lost since the outbreak of COVID-19. This multifaceted sector was flourishing gradually in the country until 2019. 

Being an appealing tourist destination having both unparalleled natural and cultural attractions, Nepal was able to host about 1.17 million international visitors in 2019. This figure was about 2.1 per cent higher compared to the number of tourists the country welcomed in 2018. In those two years, the contribution of tourism to the gross domestic product (GDP) accounted for about 7.9 per cent. But its contribution to GDP has fallen sharply with a drastic decrease in tourist arrivals following the emergence of the pandemic. In 2020, tourist arrivals plummeted by 81 per cent, with only 230,085 foreign visitors coming to Nepal. The arrival rate declined further in 2021. Foreign currency earnings from tourism fell by 46 per cent to Rs. 13,501,100,000. However, tourism has begun reviving steadily with the onset of 2022, creating much optimism among tourism entrepreneurs. Anyway, it is a welcome initiative on the part of the government aimed at recovering tourism. 

Newly-appointed Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jeevan Ram Shrestha seems to be very serious about bouncing back the tourism sector. No sooner had Shrestha assumed his office on June 27 than he formed a taskforce to prepare the action plan. Unveiling the action plan on Sunday, Minister Shrestha called on all the stakeholders to restore Nepali tourism's past glory and even move further. He noted that the tourism industry had not given up its efforts even during the most difficult times of the pandemic.  The ministry, in its action plan, has  prioritised  required  amendments  to Tourism  Policy 2065;  Aviation  Policy  2063; National Culture Policy 2067; Tourism  Act  2035;  Copyright  Act  2059;  and  Mountaineering Expedition Regulations 2059.  As suggested by key tourism stakeholders, the ministry has focussed on amending these policies and laws to help facilitate tourism growth. 

The action plan has designated stakeholders to address various issues and problems within a stipulated timeframe. The ministry, in coordination with different organisations, including the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), is planning to begin the clean-up of all the key tourism sites within a month. This vital task will get continuity. Once tourism spots get a facelift, it will help enhance the nation’s destination image. Similarly, heritage paths will be constructed to connect the Kathmandu Valley’s main cultural and historical sites. The authorities and the tourism industry need to work in close coordination and collaboration to revive tourism. They should also plan for handling tourism smoothly even when various Omicron sub-variants have started posing a threat of spreading. The monkeypox could be another potential irritant for global tourism as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared it as a global emergency.  


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