Targeting the House of Representatives elections to be held on Falgun 21, the four major political parties have put forward the tourism sector as the main basis for economic transformation.

Nepali Congress, Nepal Communist Party (UML), Nepali Communist Party and National Independent Party (NRP) have made public their strategies to link tourism with employment, foreign exchange earnings and sustainable development through their respective manifestos and commitment letters.

Congress has put forward the ‘Arogya Nepal’ campaign with a target of attracting 3 million tourists annually within the next 10 years. UML has announced to double the tourist arrival within five years and has presented a plan for aggressive branding in the international market through the ‘Destination Nepal’ campaign.

NCP has prioritized sustainable and eco-friendly tourism with the aim of establishing Nepal as an attractive, safe and accessible destination. The NRP has committed to building a competitive tourism economy through digital systems and international-level infrastructure development.

All four parties have given high priority to religious and cultural tourism. A common commitment has been expressed to protect and promote areas such as Pashupati, Lumbini, Janakpur, Muktinath, Pathibhara, Khaptad. The Congress and the UML have put forward a plan to promote yoga, meditation, Ayurveda and wellness tourism, while the NCP has said that it will develop herbal and health tourism as a new product. Air service reform has become a common agenda of all four parties. The manifesto includes initiatives to operate Pokhara and Bhairahawa international airports at full capacity, expand international flights and remove Nepal from the European Union's aviation safety list.

The RSP has put forward a plan to make structural reforms in the civil aviation sector by separating the regulatory body from the service provider, while the NCP has mentioned that it will technically upgrade Nepal Airlines and private airlines. The UML has put forward a policy to simplify the visa process and make domestic flights safe and competitive. The parties also share a common vision on the development of the digital tourism system. The NCP has come up with a plan to provide visa, trekking permit and fee services through a ‘digital tourism dashboard’ and a single digital portal. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has proposed a policy to link everything from airports to hotels and homestays on a single digital platform. The Congress has said it will develop a multilingual digital platform and AI-based service system. Programs such as mountain conservation, the ‘Clean Himal’ campaign, green certification and the ban on single-use plastic are also included in the manifesto. All four parties have put forward a common policy of creating jobs, promoting local enterprises and developing tourism infrastructure through a public-private partnership model. Targeted training, tax exemption and concessional loan programs for youth and women are also proposed. Despite strategic differences in the manifestos, there is a common goal of making Nepal a safe, sustainable, digital and internationally competitive tourism destination. The pace of implementation of these ambitious plans will depend on which party forms the government after the election. With the Falgun 21 election, the manifestos of political parties have indicated that the tourism sector will be a key policy priority of the upcoming government.