The dialogue, organized by Innovate Next Impact at the conference hall of the Ministry of Tourism, Forest and Environment in Biratnagar, was attended by representatives from the government, private sector, tourism entrepreneurs, academia, and students.
What you should know
A joint dialogue program titled 'Tourism in Koshi Province' has been concluded with the aim of conducting an in-depth debate on the direction, challenges, and prospects of tourism development in Koshi Province.
The dialogue organized by Innovate Next Impact at the conference hall of the Ministry of Tourism, Forest and Environment in Biratnagar was attended by government, private sector, tourism entrepreneurs, educational institutions and students. In the program, Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Forest and Environment Dr. Indra Prasad Sapkota mentioned that the Koshi Tourism Year 2082 announced by the provincial government has played an important role in building tourism culture and structural foundation in the Koshi province. He said that the role of the private sector will be decisive in tourism development and expressed the view that the provincial government is committed to taking the foundation prepared by the tourism year towards sustainable development. Bhavish Kumar Shrestha, co-coordinator of the Koshi Tourism Year 2082, admitted that it is difficult to assess the real situation in the Koshi province due to the lack of clear and reliable data on tourists. He said that although the efforts being made by the provincial government by prioritizing the private sector are positive, policy reforms are now indispensable for increasing qualitative tourists. In the dialogue program, tourism entrepreneur Rajan Shrestha said that Indian tourists are the main market of Koshi Province and that policies are needed to encourage them to spend more in Nepal. In the program, hotelier Basudev Baral and Homestay Federation, Koshi Province President Liladevi Bhattarai said that the role of local levels along with the provincial government is equally important in tourism development. They concluded that tourism will not be sustainable without cooperation between local government, community and private sector. The dialogue program was facilitated by Basanta Adhikari. The program was attended by government agencies related to tourism, private sector, hoteliers and students of schools where tourism is taught, informed Shweta Acharya of the organizing organization Innovate Next Impact.
