The government has identified five
criteria for the identification and development of 100 new tourist
destinations in the country. The criteria were selected following a
discussion among representatives of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and
Civil Aviation, the Nepal Tourism Board and other tourism stakeholders,
says Ghanshyam Upadhyaya, joint-secretary at the ministry. In
selecting the tourist destinations, heritage sites that are at least 100
years old will be prioritized as the ministry believes that these sites
will have an easier time getting global recognition. “Nepal is known
across the world for its heritage and cultural sites and the government
plans to preserve and promote these places,” says Upadhyaya. Similarly,
another criteria is presence of lakes, ponds or water bodies spread
over five square kilometers.
Further, popular tourist destinations
which lack physical infrastructure will also be promoted. At present,
the Khaptad and Bardiya national reserves are popular tourist
destinations that nonetheless are short of physical infrastructures
like good hotels and lodges.
Tourist destinations for which
development plans and blueprints are ready will also identified in the
list of 100, according to Upadhyaya. The government will use the Public
Private Partnership (PPP) model to develop infrastructures of select
destinations and to link different tourist spots.
The central government will be
coordinating with the local and provincial bodies for the job. From
among the tourist spots identified by the government as well as by the
private stakeholders, 100 will be selected and developed. The
government has allocated Rs 500 million in 2018-2019 for the effort.
The current plan is a part of the government’s ambitious project of
attracting two million tourists in 2020. The government also plans to
make tourism industry capable of contributing 25 percent of the GDP by
2025. Right now tourism makes up for 9 percent of the GDP.
No comments:
Post a Comment