New Budget brings relief to tourism sector: visa will be free for tourists

Kathmandu. The government has tried to provide relief to the tourism sector through the new budget.

Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel has brought some relief programs in the budget of the Fiscal Year 2078/79 BS (the fiscal year 2021/22) released on Saturday by specifying the tourism sector under the heading of relief for Covid-19.

According to the budget, hotel, travel, trekking, tourism business, public transport, and air services will get exemption from license and renewal fee.

Similarly, it has been mentioned that the hotel and tourism sector will get facilities like productive industries.

In addition, the hotel, which could not come into operation due to the Covid-19 epidemic, will be used as an isolation center.

Similarly, the budget has also mentioned that one month visa will be provided free of cost to foreign tourists visiting Nepal in the coming fiscal year.

Besides, for the promotion of domestic tourism, a program has been included in the budget to enable the employees of civil servants, public institutions, and establishments to go on ten days’ holidays by paying them ten days’ additional wages.

It is also mentioned that the private sector will be encouraged for such arrangements. In nutshell, the budget has brought various programs for the promotion of the tourism sector.

The government has also allocated a total of Rs 27.47 billion to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation for the development and promotion of the tourism and aviation sectors.

An integrated tourism information system including GPS tracking will be implemented for the safety and rescue of tourists from the next fiscal year.

The government budget also has highlighted its promotional activities for adventure tourism including mountaineering, bungee jumping, rock climbing, rafting, paragliding, zipline, kayaking, etc.

Similarly, agri-tourism, eco-tourism, Himalayan yoga tourism, high altitude sports tourism, educational tourism, and conference tourism will be promoted in coordination with the local governments and the private sector.

The government has also provisioned Rs 590 million to continue the tourism infrastructure development program implemented in 216 places in collaboration and coordination with the provincial and local governments.