Stakeholders underline urgency of 'Tourism Bill'
Kathmandu, Aug 20: Stakeholders have advocated for advancing the 'Tourism Bill 2081'. Various sides, including the Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), underlined the need for promoting tourism as a sustainable, effective and all-encompassing business.
In a meeting of the International Relations and Tourism Committee under the federal parliament on Thursday, the speakers representing tourism and hotel sectors, shared future of tourism that includes new trends such as green tourism, health tourism, religious tourism and even the wedding destination tourism.
President of HAN, Binayak Shah, wondered why the current draft of 'Tourism Bill 2081' was focused more on expansion of casinos. It is necessary to remove the provision of regulating four- and five-star hotels by the federal government and the obligation to the hotels to have 10 percent share once they run casino.
Committee Chair Sumnima Udas emphasized that since tourism bolsters national pride, and is a significant pillar of economy. It is timely to advance the amendment of the bill and receive feedback and suggestions from all stakeholders involved.
