Nepal Marked 36th World Tourism Day

Himalayan News Service

The government and tourism entrepreneurs, today, marked the 36th World Tourism Day with the theme, ‘One billion tourists, one billion opportunities’.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and tourism-related private organisations started the day with a rally from Thamel, which culminated with a corner gathering at NTB premises.

The corner gathering was addressed by Tourism Minister Kripasur Sherpa and National Tourism Promotion Committee Coordinator Yogendra Shakya. Both the speakers highlighted on the efforts of tourism recovery in earthquake shattered Nepal.

A team led by Director General of Department of Tourism Govinda Bahadur Karki welcomed tourists at the Tribhuvan International Airport in the morning. On the initiative of the Hotel Association Nepal, all the tourist standard hotels in the country offered up to 30 per cent discount for tourists who arrived today.

Other tourist destinations like Pokhara and Lumbini, among other cities, also celebrated the day. The World Tourism Day has been marked every year on September 27 since 1980, following the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)’s decision so as to raise awareness on the social, cultural, economical and financial importance of tourism through such a worldwide celebration.