Aviation Sector Leaders Urge Political Parties to Prioritize Tourism and Policy Reforms in Manifestos
Summary
Leaders in Nepal's aviation sector urge political parties to prioritize tourism and implement policy reforms to boost the nation's economy and increase tourist arrivals.
Key Points
- Tourism currently contributes only 3% to Nepal's GDP, with a goal to increase it to 10% through focused policy and manifestos.
- Nepalese airlines are on the EU air safety blacklist, hindering the ability to attract quality tourists and requiring government intervention to resolve.
- Airport efficiency needs improvement, with emphasis on operationalizing regional airports like Pokhara and Bhairahawa as hubs for direct international flights.
- High airfare costs are influenced by the EU blacklist, tax structures, lack of aircraft, and limited flight frequencies, necessitating policy reforms and industry capacity building.
