Pokhara declared ” Tourism Capital ” of Nepal
Pokhara ( RSS ) : Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has pledged to lend necessary support and cooperation for the development of Pokhara, the Tourism Capital of Nepal.
In his address to a function organised to announce Pokhara as the Tourism Capital of Nepal here today, the Prime Minister said the government will accord top priority to develop Pokhara as further green, safe, systematized, beautiful and prosperous city.
He also assured of seeking support and cooperation from the international development partners for the enrichment of infrastructure development needed for the tourism capital. The Prime Minister said the Investment Summit that Nepal is hosting next month will be helpful in such efforts.
The Prime Minister on the occasion announced that the government will take initiations to operate commercial international flights from the Pokhara International Airport.
According to the Prime Minister, the government will take further measures to effectively operate the Korala-Tribeni transit serving as the gateway to Muktinath, the famous religious shrine.
As he said, the scale of cooperation and monitoring will be intensified to conclude the Mid-Hill Highway and the Muglin-Pokhara section along the Prithvi Highway. He called for the cooperation among the private, government and civic level to promote the internal tourism.
On the occasion, Gandaki Province Chief Minister, Surendra Raj Pandey, said the announcement of Pokhara as the Tourism Capital will help in its branding.
Pokhara metropolis mayor Dhanraj Acharya was of the opinion that the announcement would contribute to improving living standard of the citizens of Pokhara, creating employment opportunities and eliminating poverty. He pledged to intensify the infrastructure development in Pokhara through combined efforts among the three-tier government.
Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC) submits memorandum
Meanwhile , the Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC) has submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, calling for, among others, starting international flights from Pokhara International Airport.
A delegation led by PTC Chairperson Pom Narayan Shrestha met with the Prime Minister in Pokhara today and handed over the memorandum to him.
PTC has called the attention of the government, citing that the major roadways connecting Pokhara were in dire condition and the international flights from Pokhara International Airport were not regular so far. The Council has called for starting international flights to and from Pokhara at the earliest.
The memorandum states that the tourism entrepreneurs had to face crises one after the other for some years. Stating that the investment is at risk due to the sluggishness in the economy and employment is also declining, PTC, through the memorandum, called for providing motivation and time to the tourism entrepreneurs to pay back the loan.
The Council also demanded to restructuring of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and ensuring the representation of Pokhara on the NTB Executive Board Member that is currently lying vacant.
The Council has urged the government to start international flights from Pokhara International Airport initially from the Nepal Airlines itself and then encouraging other airlines as well providing them incentive packages.
The PTC also mentioned in the memo that the prohibition on individual paragliding has demoralized the paragliding adventure sports players as they cannot conduct practice paragliding flights.
It may be recalled here that the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) had banned individual paragliding after a paragliding accident in the course of the Ninth National Paragliding Competition last year.
17 March 2024
