Govt to declare formal start of VNY 2020 on Jan 1

Kathmandu / Dec. 30: At a time when preparations to the official inauguration of the Visit Nepal Year (VNY) 2020 are going on in full swing, the government has asked the people to illuminate their houses in the evening of January 1 to welcome the national campaign.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai Monday asked the people to welcome the Visit Nepal Year (VNY) by illuminating their houses and to express their solidarity in the national campaign.

“The brightness of the lights will give a message of our new journey,” he added.

While addressing a press meet organised to update the preparations of the inaugural event, Minister Bhattarai said the VNY was not just the government’s campaign, but of the whole citizens.

Nepal is all set to officially inaugurate the VNY 2020 by organising a grand event at Dasharath Staidum on Wednesday. The national campaign is set to be inaugurated by President Bidya Devi Bhandari.

He said the announcement of the tourism year would be made from all the seven states by organising formal events.

“I ask the people to welcome the VNY by illuminating their houses and take part in the national campaign,” he added.

“The government is just a facilitator. All the political parties are the organiser of the campaign,” he added.

Minister Bhattarai said the VNY 2020 had not just focused on bringing more tourists but the planning was done in a way to benefit the country’s economy. “The government has considered the VNY 2020 as a starting point to establish tourism as an important part of the country’s economy.”

He further added that the government had been preparing to introduce policy provision to mark the upcoming decade as a tourism decade.

Secretary at the Ministry Kedar Bahadur Adhikari said the government was all set to organise the event.

The ministry has already sent an invitation to the guests to participate in the event, he added.

Coordinator of the VNY 2020 Secretariat, Suraj Baidhya, said that the Secretariat invited tourism ministers from various countries, who would be attending the January 1 event.

He added that the government had already sent an invitation to the political parties and the media of 35 countries.

He siad thousands of people from various walks of life, the national and international media, and tourism minister of various countries will participate in the event.

At least five tourism ministers, including from India and China, have confirmed their participation in the inauguration ceremony being held at the Dasharath Stadium, the ministry informed.

The inaugural event will take place at around 4 pm on Wednesday and will last till 7:45 pm.

Various cultural events will be showcased in the event, while the tourism ministers of other foreign countries will express their commitment.

The country aims at developing hundreds of new tourism destinations during and after the VNY and aims to reach a new ambitious record of two million tourists by the end of 2020.

The government has also targeted to enhance the tourism sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 10 per cent from present 3 per cent and increasing the share of tourism in employment.