Koshi Province Invests Billions in Tourism Infrastructure with Limited Results
Summary
Koshi Province has spent about 10 billion rupees on tourism infrastructure over nine years, but tourist arrivals, local income, and overall returns have remained weak. Officials and entrepreneurs say scattered spending, especially on temples and monasteries, and the lack of a tourism master plan have undermined the province’s goals.
Key Points
- The Koshi Province government says it has built 1,770 tourism infrastructure projects in nine years, but it lacks data showing any major rise in tourist arrivals or economic benefits.
- A large share of the budget has gone to parks, temples, monasteries, and other religious structures, while direct tourism infrastructure spending has remained limited.
- Tourism Year programs have repeatedly underperformed, with low budget utilization and no clear impact on hotel occupancy or foreign tourist arrivals.
- Officials and entrepreneurs blame scattered project spending, policy hurdles, and the absence of a master plan for the weak results.
