New Delhi: In order to explore the trade and investment opportunities with focus on Tourism in Nepal, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) under aegis of its India-Nepal Centre / SDC and in association with the Embassy of Nepal, organised “Visit Nepal 2020 Conclave” on 23rd December (10:00 am-05:00 pm) at Bengaluru. The Conclave hosted the official launch of Government of Nepal’s “Visit Nepal 2020 Campaigned” and the discussions of key decision-makers’ and stakeholders’ from the government and industry, for positioning “Visit Nepal 2020” to attract the visitors and investments from Southern India to Nepal.
While delivering the keynote speech, Nepal’s Ambassador Mr Nilambar Acharya called for tourism and investment promotion in Nepal and further strengthening of India-Nepal economic relations.
Amb Mr K V Rajan, the Chair of Inaugural Session highlighted the importance of tourism as a major sector for Nepal, both keeping economic and socio-cultural considerations. He added that “Endowed with favourable natural conditions, the tourism in Nepal is all set to gain new height with Visit Nepal 2020, a meaningful campaign started by the Government of Nepal.”
The two Sessions and Roundtable Meeting hosted the voices of the policy-makers from the government and industry in Southern India.
The vision for “Visit Nepal 2020 Campaign” is grand and reflects Nepal’s unwavering commitment to improving its competitiveness through investment, innovation, infrastructure development, regulatory reforms, new product offering, environment & wildlife conservation and ensuring greater level of efficiency in service standards with the aim to develop tourism and economy in Nepal. Significantly, the government declared 2020 as the Visit Nepal Year with a goal to achieve two million arrivals and daily spend of over $75.
Remarkably, “Visit Nepal 2020 Campaign” is being positioned as a Lifetime Experience in a bid to establish Nepal and one of the world’s most unique experimental and lifetime value destinations. As per the government estimate, in 2018, Nepal received 11,73,072 international tourists excluding domestic travellers. The numbers of Indian travels were the highest. The total share of FDI in tourism was 11.47% at Rs 23,855.50 million. The hospitality sector has shown immense promise with several international hotel chains having already entered or in the process of entering the market.
The Visit Nepal Year 2020 is set to achieve the government agenda to recognise and accelerate the development of the potential of the tourism industry in the years to come even as the government creates ease of doing business for investors’ and stakeholders’ with incentives and subsidy provisions, supportive policies, political stability and sound governance.
PHDCCI, through its 1,30,00 members – and through its counterparts such Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and India (FKCCI), Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC), India Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Travel Agents Association of India (TAII) and South India Hotel and Restaurant Association (SIHRA), ensured an outreach to over half-million industry entities.
Among the key participants on the Visit Nepal 2020 Conclave were Amb Mr Nilambar Acharya, Ambassador, Embassy of Nepal, India; Mrs Nita Pokhrel Aryal, Minister (Economic), Embassy of Nepal, India; Mr Tirtha Poudel, Counsellor (Economic), Embassy of Nepal, India; Amb Mr K V Rajan, Chairman, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI; Mr K N Ramesh, Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka; Mr Anukool Bhatnagar, MD, Nepal SBI Ltd.; Mr C R Janardhana, President, Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI); Mr Devesh Agarwal, President, Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC); Mr S Mahalingaiah, Chairman (Karnataka State Chapter), India Association of Tour Operators (IATO); Mr Niranjan S Bhargava, Honorary Secretary, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI); Mr Bikas Rauniyar, Executive Director, Interstate Multi-Modal Transport (Pvt) Ltd.; Dr Ranjeet Mehta, Principal Director, PHDCCI; Mr Atul K Thakur, Deputy Secretary & Nodal Coordinator, SDC/India-Nepal Centre.
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