KATHMANDU:  All preparations for the Visit Nepal Year 2020, going to be formally inaugurated on January 1, 2020, have been completed, the officials said by organizing a press conference on Monday.

The Visit Nepal Year Secretariat said that all the preparations for the grand ceremony to be inaugurated at Dasharath Stadium have been completed where President Bidya Devi Bhandari would inaugurate the Visit Nepal Year 2020.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is also scheduled to make a special address while Vice President, former prime ministers, leaders of different political parties, tourism ministers from different countries, lawmakers, chiefs of diplomatic missions in Nepal and other dignitaries will be present at the grand program in Dasharath Stadium.

Similarly, Visit Nepal Year, 2020 would also be inaugurated at main places of all seven states on the same day, according to the Secretariat. The Visit Nepal year 2020 would be inaugurated at stadium of Biratnagar in State-1, Janaki Temple premises in State-2, Sauraha of Chitwan in State-3, Lakeside of Pokhara in Gandaki State, Thakurdwar of Bardiya in State-5, Bulbul Lake of Surkhet in Karnali State and Dhangadhi of Sudurpaschim State.

Likewise, Visit Nepal Year would be inaugurated at Nepali Embassy in foreign countries on January 7 while the Visit Nepal 2020 would be inaugurated through Non-Resident Nepali Association in the countries where there is no Nepali Embassy, according to the Secretariat. On the occasion, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai said that all preparations to inaugurate the Visit Nepal Year had been completed.

Minister Bhattarai said that he has spent most of his time for Visit Nepal Year after his appointment as the minister on July 1, 2019. He shared that he held discussions with more than 100 different government and non-government organisations to make the Visit Nepal year a grand success.

He said that the government has put tourism at the top priority to take the country towards the path of economic prosperity and all Nepalese should actively participate in tourism development as tourism sector is the appropriate means to materialize the national campaign ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali.’ The Tourism Minister said, “Making the world known that Nepal is one of the popular tourist destinations in the world and informing the investors of the world that Nepal is the suitable country for the investment is main objective of the Visit Nepal Year.”

Saying national unity forged in course of celebrating Visit Nepal Year 2020 has made him excited, Minister Bhattarai said commitments made by all sectors in course of making it a success have added more energy. He also extended gratitude to ministers of different ministries, Visit Nepal Year Secretariat, different government bodies, private organizations, among others for their support in course of preparation of Visit Nepal Year-2020 and appealed for their support and participation in days ahead too.

The government has targeted to bring in 2 million tourists in the year 2020 by observing Visit Nepal Year. In addition, the government would mark the coming decade as the tourism decade with an aim to uplift the nation’s economic growth through tourism.

Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Kedar Bahadur Adhikari said that the government will announce tourism decade after the six month of the Visit Nepal Year, 2020. The tourism decade would be initiated as a campaign focusing on the vital infrastructure development.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Bhattarai said that encouraging participation and proactive involvement of all political parties, private sector, NGOs and others has furthered strengthened the aspirations of national unity.

Minister Bhattarai said that the government has its top priority in quality tourism, marketing and branding as well as human resource development, protection of cultural heritages and emphasis on researches on tourism.