Minister Pandey: Cultural diversity promotes tourism

Kathmandu: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey, has said Nepal’s richness in natural beauty and cultural diversity is a significant factor in promoting tourism.

Inaugurating the ‘Far West Travel Meet’ organized at Mahendranagar on Friday, Minister Pandey reiterated that these special features play a vital role in drawing foreign tourists.

The Tourism Minister, however, said Nepal needs adequate physical infrastructure to promote tourism development. ‘We’re planning to conduct flights from Pokhara to all provinces after holding talks to various airlines,’ he said, expressing hope it would contribute much to tourism.

According to the minister, economic prosperity is not distant if we capitalize on the cultural and natural diversities of Nepal. But the pressure on capital spending was causing a 20 percent decline in the tourism budget, he shared the plight. The Minister admitted that, as Nepal Airlines did not have a robust influence, private airlines were taking advantage of this situation.

The meet, organized jointly by the Nepal Tourism Board and Bhimdatt municipality, will run for three days.

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