KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has unveiled a 74-point action plan for the rehabilitation of the tourism industry.

Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Jeevan Ram Shrestha unveiled the action plan at the ministry on Sunday.

The action plan clearly specifies the name of agencies responsible for implementing the plan with a clear timeline.

Visit Nepal Decade
The action plan states that necessary preparations will be carried out within the next three months to celebrate the 2023-2033 decade as the Nepal Tourism Decade for the sustainable development of the Nepali tourism industry.

Conference of tourism ministers at ABC
The ministry has said that it would host a summit of tourism ministers of the Asia Pacific region at the Annapurna Base Camp. The date of the summit will have to be fixed within four months, according to the action plan.

UNWTO Summit in Nepal
Nepal will propose to host a high-level summit for the Asia Pacific region of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

A destination for senior citizens
The ministry has said that it would introduce retirement visa to attract senior citizens to spend their retirement life in Nepal. The action plan states that the private sector will be encouraged to devise attractive packages for them by including health care facilities, among others.

Tourist support helpline
The ministry is bringing into operation a multi-language helping support center for foreign tourists. The service is expected to come into operation within two months.

One-door entry permit system
The ministry has said that it would introduce one-door entry permit system for tourists. If implemented, it would facilitate tourists who are forced to buy entry tickets at every heritage site they wish to visit.

Uniforms for airport taxi drivers
The ministry has said that hospitality training will be provided to airport taxi drivers to enrich tourists’ experience in Nepal. Likewise, they will be asked to wear designated uniforms. Further, GPS will be installed on airport taxis for the safety of tourists.

Tax waiver for airlines
The ministry has proposed to provide tax waivers for airline companies who wish to bring aircraft for starting flight service to remote destinations.

Shuttle bus services to major tourist sites
The ministry has said that it would operate shuttle bus services from the airport to major tourist sites. According to the ministry, airport shuttle buses will be operational within three months.

Heritage walk to promote night tourism
As per the action plan, heritage walks will be organized to start and promote night tourism in Kathmandu Valley. To begin with, such heritage walks will be organized in Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur and Kirtipur within two months.