Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Pradip Gyawali has said that restructuring of Tourism Council by involving private sectors is in the pipeline to boost the ailing tourism industry of the county.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Pradip Gyawali (File Photo)

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Pradip Gyawali (File Photo)
Speaking at a programme organized to mark the eighth anniversary of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) on Sunday, Minister Gyawali said, “It is important to increase the number of tourists by four-folds in order to alleviate poverty and boost our economy.”

Emphasising on the importance of tourism and its economic impact on the day-to-day lives of people, minister Gyawali said special attention should be given on promoting religious tourism in Nepal.

Speaking at the same programme, Jagdish Chandra Pokhrel, vice-chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC) said that it is appropriate time to capitalise present situation.

The NTB, which was established as government and private companies’ partnership institution in 1999, has been organising various tourism fairs in national and international levels to promote Nepal as a tourist destination.