BHARATPUR: The Bharatpur Metropolitan City (BMC) announced its plans for the inauguration of Bharatpur Visit Year 2024 on March 1, with Prime Minister (PM) Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda leading the opening ceremony.

The Bharatpur Metropolitan Municipality stated that an estimated 50,000 attendees, including former prime ministers, heads of states, chief ministers, and parliamentarians, will gather to mark the occasion.

The opening ceremony promises a showcase of Nepali singers.

The ceremony will also feature cultural tableaus and performances, providing a rich tapestry of Bharatpur’s heritage, according to Mayor of BMC, Renu Dahal.

Mayor Dahal emphasized the collaborative effort behind the event, with participation from ward chairpersons, schools, religious and caste communities, social organizations, civil society, and various castes, all contributing cultural tableaux.

To ensure the success of the Bharatpur Visit Year, committees have been formed, including a 2024-member main ceremony committee, a 7-member steering committee, a 19-member performance committee, an advisory committee, and 30 sub-committees, all coordinated by Metropolitan Chief, Dahal.

As many as 7,500 hotels in the metropolitan city and 15,000 beds from Sauraha to Gandakot are prepared to accommodate tourists, with hotels and restaurants offering discounts to enhance the visitor experience throughout the tourist year.

The primary objective of the Tourism Year is to showcase Bharatpur’s destinations nationally and internationally, increase tourist numbers and their length of stay, and foster economic prosperity through sustainable tourism development, according to Mayor Dahal.

Bishwa Subedi, a tourism expert in the metropolis, highlighted the 51 diverse programs planned throughout the year, led by private sectors and various organizations during the Bharatpur Visit Year.

The BMC has set ambitious targets, anticipating around 2 lakh foreign tourists and 5 lakh domestic tourists to visit Bharatpur in a year.

With the promotion of 22 tourist destinations, including seven heads of metropolitan cities, Bharatpur aims to position itself as an enticing destination.

City Chief Dahal expressed optimism, stating that the visit year will serve as a crucial milestone in discovering economic potential and creating an investment-friendly environment.

As many as 7,500 hotels in the metropolitan city and 15,000 beds from Sauraha to Gandakot are prepared to accommodate tourists, with hotels and restaurants offering discounts to enhance the visitor experience throughout the tourist year.