48th AGM of Hotel Association Nepal successfully conducted

KATHMANDU, April 30:The 48th Annual General Meeting of Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) was successfully conducted on April 28th, 2023. The Everest Hotel hosted the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kirati, as the chief guest along with various other associated stakeholders. A new cabinet was successfully formed under the Capable leadership of Binayak Shah.

The program featured a riveting speech by the minister. Firstly, he clarified the situation regarding the recent fiasco with the Dubai Airlines aircraft. He reiterated that tourism is a major economic sector for Nepal. "The backbone of the economy is tourism and the backbone of tourism is the hotel Industry." 

He mentioned that it is high time to change the old rules, regulations and policies such as the outdated education system based on western knowledge. He believes that foreigners would be hard pressed to visit Nepal if they have to pay exorbitant fees. He also expressed grief regarding the lack of proper training for transportation providers, lack of toilets and Sanitary pads, lack of advertisement, etc. 

Beside the negative problems, he also shed light on development of minimum infrastructure and especially the ability to study Aviation and Piloting in Nepal itself. He also praised the various eco-friendly campaigns and deployment of proper volunteers. He assured that he would be a minister that "walks ahead of you shielding you from problems, and walks behind your success." 

Binayak Shah, the new President of HAN gave his concluding remarks regarding 4 major points. Firstly, he requested considerations to be provided regarding the loans and interest from the banks, in the light of economic slump in the hotel industry due to Covid-19. Secondly, he urged that the Nepal Government must acknowledge the tourism sector as an Industry instead of a service business so that the services can promote the development of hotels, tourism and the overall economy of Nepal. 

Thirdly, he reiterated the fact that only 30% occupancy is being reached by the hotel industry currently, while 38% is required simply to break even. He stated that proper infrastructure must be established to attract further tourists to Nepal. And finally, he was hopeful for mega events with the Government, Nepal Tourism Board, and other stakeholders to promote tourism in Nepal. He assured that his team would "move by action and not by words." 

The Former president of HAN, Srijana Rana, also put forth her wise words regarding her presidency period. She regretted the severe setback that the hotel industry faced during the covid-19 pandemic. She believes that supply and demand should be considered and licenses should be distributed in a decentralized manner. 

She praised the publication of the coffee table book "Nepal, a journey from East to West"  that provides information regarding the various places to visit in the 7 provinces. She also admired the "No single use plastic" campaign and wished it to be continued worldwide. 

The General Secretary of HAN, Sajan Shakya, briefly described the issue of high interest rates being faced by the hotel industry despite the large investment by HAN. He proclaimed that the 10 five-star hotels to be opened in 2023 along with the existing hotels could provide employment to up to 30 crore people. 

Ashlesha Karki and Pranay Pandey representing Hotel Mechi Crown and Hotel Sangri~la respectively provided a youthful perspective to the tourism Industry with a detailed presentation. They mainly focused on topics such as infrastructure, new destinations, digital marketing, incentives, financial challenges, skilled human capital, health and sustainability, and engagement with the Government and stakeholders. They believed that HAN can be an umbrella structure to manage these factors and expand the global chain.