GANDAKI: Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC) has presented a memorandum to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, advocating, among other things, the initiation of international flights from Pokhara International Airport.
A delegation, headed by PTC Chairperson Pom Narayan Shrestha, met with the Prime Minister in Pokhara today and delivered the memorandum to him.
The PTC has drawn the government's attention to the fact that the main roads connecting Pokhara are in a dire state and that international flights from Pokhara International Airport have not been regular so far. The PTC has urged for the commencement of international flights to and from Pokhara as soon as possible.
The memorandum highlights that tourism entrepreneurs have been facing one crisis after another for several years. It states that investment is at risk due to the sluggish economy and declining employment. Through the memorandum, the PTC has called for providing incentives and time to tourism entrepreneurs to repay their loans.
The PTC has also demanded restructuring of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and ensuring Pokhara's representation on the currently vacant NTB Executive Board.
The PTC has urged the government to initiate international flights from Pokhara International Airport, initially through Nepal Airlines, and then by encouraging other airlines by offering them incentive packages.
The PTC also noted in the memo that the ban on individual paragliding has demoralised paragliding adventure sports players as they are unable to conduct practice paragliding flights.
It is worth recalling that the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) had banned individual paragliding following a paragliding accident during the Ninth National Paragliding Competition last year.
By RSS