Nepal Tourism observing 2007 as 'Visit Pokhara' year

Nagpur, Apr 2 (UNI) The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) is observing 2007 as 'Visit Pokhara' year and has also launched a new promotion campaign 'Naturally Nepal - Once Is Not Enough' to attract more tourists to the land-locked Himalayan country where tourism is a major source of revenue.

Speaking to reporters here today, NTB Manager for Tourism Marketing and Promotion Ujjwala Dali said Pokhara is already a major tourist destination in Nepal and has the infrastructure and human resources to handle many more visitors than it does at present.

NTB has introduced several promotional schemes for Indians visiting Pokhara, the gateway to the western region of Nepal, during the year, including complimentary stay, privilege cards and free casino coupons, Ms Dali said.

The 'Once Is Not Enough' campaign is meant to encourage tourists to keep visiting Nepal, she said. As part of the campaign, NTB has already held road shows for tour operators in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Vadodara and held one here today.

The last road show is scheduled to be held in Pune on April 4, she said adding that these five cities were chosen to encourage tourists from western India to visit Nepal, since Maharashtra and Gujarat were seen as catalyst for other regions in the country.

Ms Dali, who, incidentally, hails from Pune, said they expected 4 lakh tourists to visit Nepal during 2007. Insurgency had slightly affected the number of visitors, but the country remained a safe destination for tourists as ever, she added.

UNI