KATHMANDU, June 23: Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Poudel has urged the hoteliers and tourism entrepreneurs to take benefit from the facilities provided by the government in the hotel and tourism sector.
After receiving the letter with suggestions from the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), Minister Paudel said that the current year's budget has addressed many demands of the hotel and tourism sector and that hoteliers needed to take benefit from the new privileges.
Minister Poudel said that the budget would provide facilities to the hotel and tourism sector like those to the productive sector. He also said that this was one of the best programs the government had introduced during COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister Paudel urged the entrepreneurs to be confident in the implementation of the programs mentioned in the budget. In the budget of the Fiscal Year 2021/22, it has been mentioned that the hotel sector will be exempted from electricity demand fee for the period of prohibitory orders.
The government has waived the company renewal fee for COVID-19-affected businesses such as hotels, travel, trekking, and tourism businesses, public transport and air service, among others, in the fiscal year 2021/22.
Similarly, the budget has announced to provide hotels and tourism industry the facilities like that of the productive sector and provide incentive as per the criteria set by the government if the hotels which could not come into operation under COVID-19 are operated as isolation centers.
President of the Hotel Association of Nepal, Sirjana Rana, said that it was a great thing to include the hotel in the service-oriented industry.
The Hotel Association of Nepal has suggested that the monetary policy of 2021/22 should monitor whether the loans by banks and financial institutions have been refinanced through Nepal Rastra Bank, the existing refinancing amount should be increased and the term of the loan should be maintained for one year.