POKHARA, July 15: The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) is preparing to bring a budget of around Rs 1.25 billion for the upcoming fiscal year.
Coordinator of the budget committee and NTB board member Milan Devkota informed Republica that the board is preparing to bring a budget of around Rs 1.25 billion for the fiscal year 2023/24. According to coordinator Devkota, about 80 percent of the budget for the next fiscal year will be spent on tourism promotion in the international market and the remaining amount will be spent on domestic tourism promotion and infrastructure development.
“The main job of the NTB is to promote tourism, so the maximum amount will be spent on promotion,” said Devkota.
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According to NTB Director Mani Raj Lamichhane, the tourism board charges a fee of Rs 1000 per foreigners leaving through the international airport. As a tourist service fee, the citizens of all foreign countries except Nepal have to pay a fee of Rs 1000 per person when exiting through the international airport. The NTB collects that amount from the airline companies.
In the current fiscal year, the board had brought a budget of Rs 1.25 billion. “The board's income was reduced last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, due to the increase in arrival of tourists this year, the board's income will also increase,” said Lamichhane, who is also the information officer of the board.
The government has set a target of welcoming around one million foreign tourists in Nepal in 2023.
During a discussion with the private sector about the budget, the heads and representatives of organizations related to the tourism sector emphasized on digitalization for the promotion of the tourism sector. They also suggested the NTB to come up with a budget that would be implemented. The private sector representatives suggested NTB undertake the international tourism promotion program in a new way rather than the traditional way. They also suggested NTB to include the maximum participation of the private sector in the internal and international programs organized by the board.
NTB Vice Chairman Chandra Rijal informed Republica that the board will formulate the budget by incorporating the suggestions of the private sector and the budget will be private sector friendly. He mentioned that constructive suggestions were received from the private sector during the discussion and said that the budget will be finalized after including those suggestions.
Similarly, NTB board member Madan Acharya said that the discussion with the private sector was fruitful and it would facilitate budget formulation and implementation.
During the discussion, the heads of organizations such as Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), Pacific Association of Travel Agents (PATA), Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) and Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agencies (NATA) made suggestions regarding the upcoming budget of the NTB.
