Ghumphir Barsa: Make 2073 B.S. the year of domestic tourism

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The New Nepali Bikram Sambat year of 2073 has been announced a “Ghumphir Barsa” by Nepal tourism Board (NTB) to promote domestic tourism. The campaign comes in the heels of the worst year for tourism industry in Nepal.

With international arrivals at an all-time low, much of the travel entrepreneurs have their hopes pinned on domestic tourists to tide them through the year.

“The programme is part of the preparations to declare 2017-18 as International Tourism Year,” said Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO of NTB.

As part of the campaign, tour operators and hotels will announce special packages targeting domestic tourists. Despite that fact that there are no fixed statistics regarding domestic tourism in Nepal, the general consensus is that domestic tourists are on the rise in Nepal owing to young working professionals and the growing middle class. Some of the most popular destinations in Nepal are Pokhara, Chitwan, Jomsom and Annapurna Circuit.

This is the first initiative of its kind by the government to promote domestic tourism in Nepal. Previously, the government had ran ‘Visit Nepal 1998’ and ‘Nepal Tourism Year 2011’ campaigns to attract international tourists.