KATHMANDU, Sept 30: Visit Nepal Year 2020 Secretariat has targeted increasing tourist arrivals from neighboring India and China by 100,000 each in 2020.
Speaking at an interaction with Society of Economic Journalists Nepal (SEJON) in Kathmandu on Sunday, Suraj Vaidya, the national program coordinator of the Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign, said they were expecting an additional 30,000 tourists from South Korea, 20,000 from Japan, 30,000 from Bangladesh and 20,000 from Thailand.
“Similarly, we target to increase arrivals from Germany by 7,000, and UK and France by some 6,000 each,” he added.
Talk at the top level
Visit Nepal 2020 Secretariat is focusing on increasing one-stop flights from major destinations to bring more tourists to the country during Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign.
“We are focused on one-stop flights from destinations like Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Thailand,” he added.
Stating that infrastructure and service at the country’s only airport are not up to the mark, Vaidya said that 80 volunteers will soon be placed at different domestic and international terminals of Tribhuvan International Airport to facilitate visitors. “These volunteers will be fully trained and will be deputed at help desk and other departments. They will help tourists in customs and immigration formalities,” an official at the VNY Secretariat said.
Vaidya also said that Nepal would organize sporting events like sky diving, Mustang Trail Race, Karnali Kayak Race, ice climbing, ice hockey and ice skating, among others, during the year.
According to Vaidya, Nepal will host 5th Sustainable Summits Conference 2020 on June 1-5, 2020.
The government has set a target of welcoming two million tourists during the yearlong promotional campaign. Spending per capita tourist spending to US$ 75 is another target of the campaign.
Tourism promotional programs and activities are being carried out under ‘Nepal: A Lifetime Experience’ theme.
