Hotel Association Pokhara urges govt to accord tourism sector industry status
GANDAKI: Hotel Association Pokhara Nepal (HAPN) has urged the government to accord equal status to the tourism and industry sectors.
HAPN president Laxman Subedi on Saturday submitted a five‑point memorandum to the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Anil Kumar Sinha, calling for the tourism sector to be afforded the same status as industry.
Subedi said the memorandum was submitted to highlight non‑implementation despite the government’s announcement in the current fiscal year’s budget to treat the two sectors equally.
The HAPN also demanded that regular flights to various cities in India and China operate from Pokhara International Airport, and that domestic air routes linking provincial cities be developed to promote domestic tourism, including routes to border cities in Nepal’s neighbouring countries.
The memorandum stated that the hotel and hospitality sector should receive rightful compensation after being directly affected by the Gen‑Z Movement.
Receiving the memorandum, Minister Sinha pledged to implement measures to ensure equal status for the tourism and industry sectors and said the government was working to secure international flights from Pokhara International Airport.
Also present were Gandaki Province Industry and Tourism Minister Mitralal Basyal, business leaders and officials from the Nepal Tourism Board’s Gandaki Province office.
