Govt prioritized construction of tourism infrastructure in fiscal year

KATHMANDU, Sep 13:The government has prioritized tourism infrastructure development, including airport upgrades and the creation of trail routes to hill stations. In the current fiscal year, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation has prioritized the creation of tourism infrastructure over the revision of legislation throughout the country.

For the current fiscal year, the government has allotted approximately 12 billion rupees to the Ministry of Tourism. Internal budgets are also maintained by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and the Nepal Tourism Board. CAAN has approved a budget of 36.66 billion rupees, with a capital budget of 19 billion rupees set aside for the building of airports and other aviation facilities. The Nepal Tourism Board has not yet presented the budget.
Tourism Secretary Bharatmani Subedi has stated that the new terminal buildings for the improved airports of Bharatpur, Nepalgunj, and Biratnagar will be completed this year. 90 percent of parking lot work, 78 percent of parallel taxiway development, and 64 percent of hangar apron building have been completed toward the improvement of Tribhuvan International Airport.

Similarly, attention will be given to the construction of a full-capacity international airport at Nijgarh in Bara. The Ministry of Tourism has set the objective of completing the preliminary works for the building of Nijgadh Airport, as well as the investment and construction mode, this year.

CAAN restructuring and Nepal Airlines Corporation managerial improvements have also been prioritized. Stakeholders inside the country have been seeking to restructure the CAAN and create distinct regulatory and service provider (administrative) agencies, from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to the European Union (EU). Similarly, there is a debate going on about whether the Air Service Corporation should be strengthened and strengthened by corporatization due to poor management.

The National Culture Policy, Culture Act, Procedures, and Standards for Open Cultural Museums and Living Museums will be developed by the government. The Tourism Act will also be reviewed and changed. There are bilateral air service agreements in place with the three countries, as well as a work plan in place to develop processes for running remote region air services.

Under the archaeological site protection project, the reconstruction of 25 cultural heritages, 24 monasteries, and 20 heritages damaged by the earthquake will be completed. More than 100-year-old culturally significant Himalayan monasteries will be preserved.

The purpose of the tourism infrastructure development initiative is to build 150 kilometers of the Great Himalayan Trail, Greater Mundhum Trail, Mahabharata Trail, and 30 kilometers of trek routes around Kathmandu Valley. The construction of hill station infrastructure at Udaipur in Koshi province and Arghakhanchi Narpani in Lumbini province is expected to be finished by 30% this year. Similarly, an action plan for the Tourism Decade (2023-032) will be developed.

This year, 70 percent of the Bishwaroop Temple and Sattal conservation work in the Pashupati area will be completed as part of the national pride project. This year, it is planned to finish the first phase of the Lumbini Development Fund and 30% of the second phase.

The Ministry of Tourism is willing to go to whatever length to make Nepal a safe and appealing tourism destination. The government is prepared to entice the private sector to engage in infrastructure development by identifying special tourist areas (STGs) and offering discounts, concessions, and incentives to those who invest in such locations. The budget and program will be centered on increasing tourism output and tourism activities in order to enhance tourist length of stay and average expenditure.