Livelihood improvement through tourism development

 

POKHARA, Nov 16: In Pokhara stakeholders have discussed and compiled suggestions on selected projects to link Pokhara's tourism with livelihood.

Under the Regional Urban Revitalization and Livelihood Improvement Program Project, which is operated with the loan support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the metropolis has held a discussion program among the stakeholders to select the project to be implemented in the Pokhara Metropolitan Municipality.

Dhanraj Acharya, head of Pokhara Metropolitan City, expressed his belief that this program, which is run with the aim of improving the living conditions of citizens by maintaining urban development and environmental balance, will contribute significantly to the tourism development of Pokhara.

Informing that the metropolis has been given the responsibility to implement this program run under the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, he said that the tourism sector can be promoted through nature-friendly green development and Pokhara is excellent for that.

In order to make Pokhara a tourist capital, the Chief Acharya mentioned that everyone's common thinking and positive attitude towards development is necessary and said that the program will be continued by discouraging activities that affect the natural beauty of Pokhara.

He emphasized that the project will be conducted in the same way as the policy of the metropolis has emphasized on green city.

Birendra Bharti, Chief Administrative Officer of the Metropolitan Municipality, informed that a study has been conducted through an organization called ICF International to select a transformative project. According to him, the 19 projects selected in the first phase of the study have been discussed among stakeholders in various fields and suggestions for further improvements have been taken.

Ripin Karla, Team Leader of the Sustainable Tourism Development Action Plan, said that ADB is going to provide a loan of around five billion to connect nature with livelihood in eight municipalities of Nepal, and Pokhara, which is full of natural beauty, is an excellent city for that purpose.

According to Karla, this project will start from 2024 and it is expected to be completed within five years. He expressed his belief that the people of Pokhara are nature lovers and this project will help in the livelihood program by protecting the environment.

The event was attended by representatives of the Metropolitan Municipality, employees, subject experts in tourism, transportation, environmental experts and other stakeholders. The participants discussed the thematic groups for the improvement of the proposed project and suggested how sustainable tourism in Pokhara can be linked with livelihood.