KATHMANDU, Nepal–The government has revived the Department of Tourism dissolving the existing Tourism Industry Division. The department has been directed to offer services in the most efficient manner besides regulating the country’s tourism industry under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA).
The revive of the Department has cheered tourism entrepreneurs and other stakeholders
The department had been dissolved 15 years ago to set up Nepal Tourism Board and incorporate the private sector to jointly promote Nepal’s tourism.
It has begun its daily operations from Sunday. The Department will ensure timely issue of the businesses like hotels and travel agencies.
“The department’s role will be to provide smooth services, products and infrastructure development, besides regulating the tourism industry”, Tulasi Prasad Gautam, Director General of the department was quoted by today’s Kantipur daily.
The department is expected to regulate four major sectors—expedition, trekking, hotel and restaurant and adventure tourism.
The government formulated the first tourism master plan in 1972. The Tourism Department was formed in 1973. In 1999, the government dissolved the department and replaced it with the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) formed under the public private partnership (PPP) model.