Organisers view Durbarmarg fair as endeavour to revive tourism

KATHMANDU: The 15th Durbarmarg Street Festival organised at Durbarmarg in Kathmandu on Saturday concluded successfully. The organisers believe that the street festival has succeeded in conveying the message that Nepal is slowly rising. The street festival and such programmes were not held in Nepal for a long time due to the coronavirus pandemic. The festival organised on the occasion of Nepali New Year 2079 has given great energy to the general public who have been forced to stay home for a long time due to the pandemic. The atmosphere at the festival was entertaining as the various artistes performed at the event. [gallery columns="1" link="file" size="full" ids="22200,22205,22202"] The festival was formally inaugurated by the President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Shekhar Golchha. With more than 90% of the country's population being vaccinated against Covid 19 and people's lives returning to normalcy, the festival would help raise awareness of economic activity, said Golchha. The objective of the festival organised with the slogan 'Cooperation: Local Production and Domestic Tourism Promotion' was to support the tourism development of the country by promoting domestic tourism and promoting Nepali products, cuisines and culture. The festival was jointly organized by FNCCI, FNCCI-affiliated associations including Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (Reban) and Durbarmarg Development Board in special collaboration with Ncell. On the occasion, Andy Chong, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Ncell Axiata, said the cooperation has encouraged the tourism sector, small entrepreneurs, cottage, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to move forward with renewed vigour as the pandemic weakened the economy. FNCCI's Immediate Past President Bhawani Rana said that such programmes provide energy to all enterprises. Speaking on the occasion, Reban Chairman Arani Rajbhandari said that the festival was organised to help revive domestic and foreign tourism in the country. The festival which included music, various Nepali food items as well as various entertaining performances and other fun activities concluded at 8:15 pm. The event organised on the occasion of the new year witnessed the presence of around 100,000 visitors. Performances by famous singers, artistes and bands, special exhibitions of Nepali food and products made the festival attractive. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="22201,22203,22210,22191"] Deepak Bajracharya and Rhythm band, Cobweb, Samriddhi Rai with band, Subani Moktan, classical music band Sursudha among other artistes and bands including Everest Crew, Mahesh Kafle and Vek entertained the audience with their performances. Motivational Speaker and Blind Rocks Founder/Manager Sristi KC, and comedians Bharat Mani Paudel and Suman Koirala made presentations at the festival. [gallery columns="1" link="file" size="full" ids="22209,22207,22196,22198,22195,22194,22193,22197"] The festival was attended by FNCCI Vice President Dinesh Shrestha, Treasurer Sukunta Lal Hirachan, Trade Fair Committee Chairman Narendra Khadka, officials of Rewan, Durbarmarg Development Board Chairman Sanjeeb Tuladhar and senior representatives of the company including Ncell, Royal Stag, Gorkha Brewery. Main sponsor of the event, Ncell, co-sponsor Gorkha Brewery, Royal Stag, banking partner NIC Asia Bank, insurance partner National Life Insurance, beverage partner Dabur Nepal, and supporting partners — Nepal Tourism Board, Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Manakamana Cablecar, KFC, Pizza Hut, Fonepay, Nd’S Ice-Cream, Nepal Dairy — were presented the letter of appreciation amid the programme. [gallery columns="1" link="file" size="full" ids="22208,22204,22199,22194,22192"] The items and products made by entrepreneurs with physical disabilities were also on display at the festival. Similarly, handicraft items produced by entrepreneurs including women were also showcased in the exhibition. There were 60 stalls set up at the festival. Small and medium enterprises and the tourism industry are among the worst-hit areas by the Covid 19 pandemic. The organisers were confident that the festival would help in this endeavour to revive and revitalise the coveted industry, business, economy and tourism business as soon as possible. READ ALSO:

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