KATHMANDU: The trend of operating hotels and homestay services targeting tourists has increased with the approaching Visit Nepal Year 2020. The Vist Year kicks off on January 1, 2020. The government has set the target of welcoming two million tourists during the Visit Year.
Applications for opening18 new homestay services and hotels have been registered with the Department of Tourism in the current fiscal year.
According to the Department, applications have been registered for construction of four five-star hotels, three four-star hotels, one-star hotel, seven tourist level hotels and three homestay services.
The Number of applications for the construction of three-star hotels is five less compared to the previous fiscal year while not a single application has been registered for the construction of a two-star hotel.
With the latest registration of new hotels and homestay, the number of tourist-grade hotels and homestay has reached 923 including 15 five-star hotels, 13 four-star hotels, 33 three-star hotels, 43 two-star hotels, 35 one-star hotels, 527 tourist grade hotels and 257 homestay services.
Department director-general Dandu Raj Ghimire said the number of people investing in tourist-level hotels and homestay has increased with the preparations of the Visit Year.
The Department stated that preparations have been made to register and operate several hotels at the province level.
One million and 173 thousand tourists visited Nepal last fiscal year. Hotel entrepreneurs have said there will be a shortage of hotels if tourist arrival reaches two million as per the government’s target during the Visit Year.
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