Businessmen have demanded the government to introduce business-friendly policies and promote proper use of social media to create a welcoming environment for Indian tourists in Nepal.
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Tourism entrepreneurs in Lumbini and Pokhara have said that 'insulting' behavior targeting Indian tourists on social media should be stopped. Stating that destinations are bustling with Indian guests even in the 'off-season', the entrepreneurs have requested for respectful behavior.
Tourism entrepreneurs say that negative comments and insulting expressions expressed on social media lead to false publicity about the destination.
Tourism entrepreneurs in Lumbini and Pokhara have said that it is necessary to use social media and adopt appropriate government policies so that the environment for Indian tourists to come to Nepal is not spoiled.
Tourism entrepreneurs participating in a discussion and interaction on tourism promotion organized by the Hotel Association Pokhara in Bhairahawa expressed concern that activities that insult Indian tourists have been seen on social media in recent times and that government policies have not been favorable.
Laxman Subedi, President of the Pokhara Hotel Association, said that the increasing arrival of Indian tourists is creating great excitement, but tourism entrepreneurs and social media users have negatively affected the tourism sector. ‘Indian tourists do not see star hotels in places like Pokhara packed, but the sight of a limited number of Indian pilgrims cooking and eating on the road has given a negative message to Nepal’s tourism sector,’ said Subedi, ‘Such activities should not happen.’
Siddharthanagar Municipality Mayor Istiyaq Ahmed Khan said that YouTube operators prioritize activities that send negative messages with the aim of increasing more viewers. Khan urged Nepali tourism entrepreneurs to reach various cities in India with tourism promotional programs that would further attract Indian tourists to Nepal.
Bishnu Sharma, former President of the Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that it was excessive to charge additional taxes on vehicles brought by Indian tourists to Nepal, saying that even after collecting customs duty on the vehicles brought by them, the provincial governments used the roads in the middle of the way. "Many government policies, including requiring Indian tourists to show the source of the money they bring, and imposing fines on Indian tourists every day when they return from another border in the name of digital customs, are impractical," he said. "It is necessary for all businessmen to raise a united voice against government policies that affect Indian tourists."
The tourism promotion program organized under the 'Jaun Hai Pokhara' campaign with the aim of connecting Chitwan, Lumbini and Palpa with the tourist capital Pokhara has focused on exploring and promoting additional tourist destinations by examining the existing problems and challenges in the tourism sector in Nepal.
