Hotel Association Pokhara Nepal demand international flights from Pokhara start immediately

POKHARA, Nov 11:The Hotel Association Pokhara Nepal has submitted a list of seven point  demands to Nepal's Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey, requesting that he take the initiative to find a solution on Saturday.

They stated that with Pokhara's designation as a tourist capital, there will be an increase in visitor arrivals, causing the hotel and tourism businesspeople in this region to be in a state of difficulty because tourist arrivals were not predicted in the past.

On that occasion, the association's president, Laxman Subedi, delivered a memorandum to Minister Pandey, demanding that the Ministry of Tourism take immediate efforts to start international flights from the new airport. In the memorandum, it was suggested that the hotel industry be acknowledged as an industry and treated as such, that the hotel industry be granted concessional interest rates from industries like energy and agriculture, and that air services be extended to connect various cities in the nation, primarily catering to domestic travelers.

Additionally, it has been recommended that the 42-point code of conduct for nighttime business be fully applied, that monitoring be made more efficient, and that the Nepal Tourism Board prioritize promotion over infrastructure development. 

The Nepal Rastra Bank should easily renew the foreign currency transaction permit for small and medium-sized hotel businesses that were unable to do so due to environmental studies (BS, IEE, and EIA). Additionally, the environmental impact assessment for small and medium-sized hotel businesses constructed prior to 2072 should be canceled. Included are demands that must be made.

The association's president, Subedi, welcomed everyone in attendance and bemoaned the government's lack of effectiveness when business ceased because of COVID, despite the massive investment made in the tourism industry with the hope that it would grow. He urged the Nepal Tourism Board to set aside a suitable budget for internal and foreign promotion efforts going forward, pointing out that internal disagreements and disputes have previously prevented promotion efforts. According to him, hotels with more than 25 expansions shouldn't be subject to the required environmental study procedure.

Minister Pandey stated during the program that although the government has made a number of concessions, the ministry will work with the technical team to understand why there aren't any regular international flights at Pokhara International Airport. This is because of technical issues with the flight or other factors. He also mentioned that the government has begun creating new guidelines for hotel operations at the same time.