It is no surprise that Nepal is often considered one of the best places for travel. It has an amazing Himalayan beauty, exotic multicultural aspects and natural beauty to match. Visitors from all parts of the world come to Nepal by the thousands every year, especially for trekking. As such, the tourism sector of Nepal has a lot of potential for growth and expansion.
Visit Nepal Year 2020 Campaign
To build on this potential, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) had planned to organize ‘Visit Nepal Year’ in 2020. The government had set a target to bring in two million tourists by that year. According to then-Tourism Minister Jitendra Narayan Dev, a secretariat for Visit Nepal Year was to be established to oversee the preparations.
Originally, MoCTCA had aimed to launch Visit Nepal Year in 2018, but it was postponed due to delays in infrastructure development—mainly roads, airports, and heritage site reconstruction.
Infrastructure Plans and Priorities
The official 60-day action plan outlined a push for faster progress on expanding Tribhuvan International Airport and completing the Gautam Buddha Airport in Bhairahawa. There were also plans to finish reconstruction of major earthquake-affected heritage sites.
The ministry had also announced it would bring in a strategic partner for Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) and move ahead with the proposal to purchase two more narrow-body aircraft.
Country-wise Tourism Strategy
The 60-day plan also included a strategy to promote Nepal in key outbound markets. Promotional activities were planned for countries like India, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Sri Lanka. Special focus was placed on India and China due to their rising number of outbound travelers.
Efforts were to be made to identify reasons behind Nepal’s slow tourist arrival growth and introduce corrective steps. Minister Dev also said that air service agreements with countries such as the UAE, Turkey, and New Zealand would be finalized. The ministry intended to review existing agreements with Thailand, Japan, Egypt, and China.
Regulatory Reforms
The action plan included a proposal to amend several outdated laws, including the Tourism Act, Casino Regulation, Travel and Trekking Regulation, and Mountaineering Expedition Regulation. The goal was to make them more relevant to the current tourism landscape.
Tourism Education and Human Resources
Another important proposal was to upgrade the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management into a full Tourism University. This was aimed at narrowing the gap in trained human resources within the industry. MoCTCA began groundwork by preparing draft laws and initiating land acquisition.
Surveys were also planned to expand MoCTCA’s agencies and departments to provincial and local levels. A master plan was to be drafted for the preservation of key tourist sites.
Impact of COVID-19
Despite the ambitious plans, the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign was suspended due to the global outbreak of COVID-19. Like the rest of the world, Nepal faced travel restrictions, and the tourism industry came to a near halt. The target of two million visitors was never met, and the campaign was cut short before it could fully take off.
