Govt refuses tax benefits for tourism

Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation will not provide discounts in tax and royalty to tourism businesses.

Addressing the 33rd World Tourism Day, minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation Posta Bahadur Bogati said that the ministry will not allow any tax discounts to the hotel sector, tourist vehicles and mountaineering sector.

Meanwhile, the minister also assured about his concern towards the construction of the Pokhara Regional International Airport. “There are procedural problems and we are trying to solve them at the earliest,” said Bogati. He also urged the agitating locals of Pokhara to support the government.

“Pokhara and Annapurna region is one of the most famous destinations in the international market, therefore the concerned people of Pokhara should handle the situation patiently,” he said.

A team of representatives, under the leadership of tourism secretary Yagya Prasad Gautam, recently left for China to discuss the financial and technical aspects of the Pokhara international airport with the concerned authorities.

During the programme, joint secretary at the ministry Mohan Krishna Sapkota also focused on the development of Pokhara Regional International Airport. “We are facing high competition in the international market, therefore constructing the airport at Pokhara is a must,” he said.

He also said that the government should be more focused on tax discounts and necessary privileges for tourism businesses for its development and promotion. According to him, the private sector should support the government and the government should also encourage the private sector.

Sapkota also expressed the need to promote Visit Lumbini Year 2012, which has not yet received sufficient promotion among the mass as compared to Nepal Tourism Year 2011.

On the occasion, Bogati launched the trekking map of Dolpa, a new website of Great Himalayan Trail, unveiled a book on ‘Sustainable Tourism Development in Nepal and STN Member Profile 2012’, and also launched ‘Paryatan Abhiyan’, a tourism fortnightly magazine.

Tourism industry celebrated 33rd World Tourism Day 2012 on September 27, with the theme ‘Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development’. To mark the day, about 48 different associations from across the country organised a series of programmes.

source: The Himalayan Times,27 Sept 2012