CNI stresses relaunching direct air connectivity with Europe

Kathmandu, Aug. 18

The Tourism Committee under the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) stressed reestablishing direct air links with Europe, making the Nepal Airlines Corporation more competitive and reforming the tourism-related laws and policies for the development of the tourism sector.

In a meeting with Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey, on Sunday, the committee suggested the minister bring the Gautam Buddha International Airport and Pokhara International Airport into operation, implement a strategy for accident reduction and make the Nepal Tourism Board more competitive.

Raj Bahadur Shah, Vice-president of the CNI, said that since the tourism sector is an area with high potential for development and investment, it is necessary to bring new policies to ensure the growth of this sector.

Member of the Tourism Committee, Rabi Chandra Singh requested to increase the operating time of Tribhuvan International Airport from 14 hours to 16 hours a day from November 8 as it is necessary to meet the demands during this tourism season.  

According to him, the TIA operation period should be extended to midnight from the current time of up to 10:00 PM.

“The government has set a target of bringing in 1.6 million tourists this year, but due to the high price of air tickets in Nepal, it will be difficult to meet the target. It is necessary to review the Value Added Tax imposed on the air tickets,” Singh said.

Committee member Ashok Pokhrel said that Nepal must increase accessibility to promote the development of the tourism sector.

For this, effective initiatives are needed to remove Nepal from the safety concern list of the European Union to make it easier for people to travel to and from Nepal and Europe. Singh emphasised that the national flag carrier (NAC) should be strengthened and the Nepal Tourism Board should be promoted according to its objectives.

Responding to the suggestions and demands of the CNI’s delegation, Tourism Minister Pandey said that he will move forward by solving the problems of the tourism sector.

He said that they the government is working to solve the problem of airports in Pokhara and Bhairahawa by mid-September 2026. Minister Pandey also informed us that the Tourism Act would be issued as soon as possible. 

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 19 August 2024.