In an attempt to woo more number of visitors to Nepal and turn the much anticipated Nepal tourism year 2011 into a grand successful event, the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) has sent a proposal to the government to waive visa fee atleast for the campaign period. If the proposal is accepted, foreigners visiting the country will not need to pay visa fee.
Nepal that had witnessed more than half a million foreign visitors in 2009 has set a target to welcoming more than 1 million foreign tourists in 2011. Laxman Bhattarai, spokesperson and joint secretary at MoTCA, said that the proposal to introduce free-visa regime was worked out by the Nepal Tourism Year 2011, National Coordination Committee.
Further, foreigners climbing the Mount Everest and other mountains will be provided a free visa of Nepal for 2 years under the new policy recently declared by the Nepal government. Tourism Department head Ranjan Aryal has said that these mountain climbers will be provided free visa for 2010-2011.
The Nepal government would also undertake various initiatives and promote Nepal as the most sought after destination for pilgrim tourism in India. "Indians constitute one-third of the total number of foreign tourists to Nepal and we are taking elaborate steps to increase their number by relaxing documentation procedures as well as offering attractive tourism packages," said Dip Kumar Upadhyaya, Nepal's Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.
