KATHMANDU: Leading tourism sector organizations have called on the government to arrange for vaccinating all citizens against COVID-19 at the earliest and protect their lives.

More than 12 organizations including Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA), Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), Nepal Mountaineering Association, met with Minister of State for Health and Population, Umesh Shrestha at his office on Tuesday and urged for the vaccination.

The tourism entrepreneurs on the occasion congratulated the Minister of State on behalf their respective organizations and wished him a successful term in office. They also handed him a three-point joint memorandum of demands.

The demands include inoculating within 30 days the workers, employees and the persons concerned as well as the tourism service providers working in the frontline at the various tourism destinations across the country.

Similarly, the other demands include immediate implementation of policy and program related with tourism announced in the budget of the current fiscal year 2020/21 and making arrangement for tourists visiting Nepal and immunizing with full dose of vaccine against coronavirus so that they need not stay in quarantine as well as arrangement of PCR test at airport and other entry points.