Nepal Launches Destination Nepal Campaign to Promote Tourism

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 ◆ Nepal Launches Destination Nepal Campaign to Promote Tourism

The Nepali government has decided to launch a national program of "Destination Nepal Campaign" from January 2002 to December 2003, to promote tourism in the Himalayan kingdom, the state-run English daily, The Rising Nepal, said recently.

The aim of the campaign is to promote the image of the country as a reliable, safe, attractive tourist destination by increasing awareness on tourism related issues and launching effective international publicity, the daily said, quoting a press release issued by the Nepali Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

The government has also decided to form a main committee to formulate, implement and monitor the campaign, the release added.

Other programs scheduled for the coming year are celebrations of International Year of Mountains, International Eco-tourism Year and the Golden Jubilee Year of the Everest Conquering.

Tourism is one of the major foreign currency earner for Nepal and earns about 170 million U.S. dollars every year. However, tourists arrival in the Himalayan Kingdom in 2001 dropped by about 22 percent from the previous year.

To revive the declining tourism, the Nepali government has taken a number of initiative recently to attract tourists, including reducing visa fees, ease visa procedures and opening up more peaks for trekking and expeditions.(xinhua)