Kathmandu, Aug 4: Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Khadak Raj Paudel, has said that the Tourism Bill needs to be amended in a timely manner to properly manage the development of the tourism sector.
In today’s meeting of the House of Representatives, the International Relations and Tourism Committee, he emphasized the need for the bill to include modern trekking routes, wellness tourism, cultural and adventure tourism, and other multidimensional topics.
Minister Paudel said that the tourism bill, which was drafted three years ago, required comprehensive amendment if the bill had been presented in the National Assembly and then sent to the House of Representatives.
“A country with so much tourism potential needs strong laws to systematize the tourism sector, and there should be discussions among stakeholders about the bill and necessary suggestions from the MPs,” he said.
MPs participating during the committee’s discussions on the principles of the bill suggested ways to improve the quality of the bill after consulting stakeholders, experts from the tourism sector, businessmen, and relevant organizations.
On that occasion, Committee Chairperson Sumnima Udas mentioned that the tourism bill, linked to the shared powers of the three levels of government, needs to be amended considering the context from its drafting to implementation.
MP Jagadish Kharel said that since the bill is linked to the country’s development and prosperity, it should be legislated as soon as possible.
MP Ganesh Bahadur Bishwakarma expressed the view that the bill should be introduced covering the economic, social, and cultural aspects of the tourism sector.
MP Bhupendra Limbu Subba suggested including the concept of a multicultural museum in the bill while MP Anushka Shrestha suggested that enough discussion should be held among stakeholders during the theoretical discussion stage of the bill to get suggestions.
MPs Beena Gurung, Dr. Arjun Kumar Karki, Shreedhar Pokharel, and others expressed the view that it is necessary to make the bill effective and broader for the development and expansion of tourism sector suitable for the modern era.
