The Ambassador of Nepal, H E Dr. Narad Nath Bharadwaj, with other members of Nepal expatriate community during the Walk on the Corniche.
The Embassy of Nepal with the support of Non-Residential Nepali Association (NRNA) Qatar has set up a Visit Nepal 2020 help desk at the Embassy. The Association is working alongside the Embassy to promote the campaign in Qatar.
“Government of Nepal has declared 2020 as Visit Nepal Year (VNY) and the private sectors are enthusiastically supportive to this campaign which is aimed at welcoming two million tourists to Nepal in the year,” Second Secretary at the Embassy of Nepal, Richa Bhattarai, told Doha Today.
Embassy of Nepal in Doha, in coordination with the Non-Residential Nepali Association (NRNA), NCC Qatar, had organised a Visit Nepal Year (VNY) 2020 Promotional Walk recently in the Corniche area of Doha.
The walk started from the Banana Island Port and ended at the Costa Coffee, near the Sheraton Hotel. The enthusiastic participants carried promotional banners as well as wore promotional t-shirts, caps, stickers and batches. They also informed the curious passersby about the VNY 2020 campaign.
Around 70 people, including the Ambassador of Nepal, H E Dr. Narad Nath Bharadwaj, and officials from the Embassy as well as President of NRN-NCC Qatar, Mohammad Muktada Musalman; Secretary of NRN-ICC R K Sharma; NRNA Regional Coordinator of Visit Nepal 2020 for the Middle East Ramesh Bhatta, and other senior officials of NRNA and prominent members and representatives of Nepali community in Qatar walked the 4.8 km route.
Bhattarai said that the 2020 is a big year for the tourism sector in Nepal, with the promulgation of new constitution in 2015 and the ensuing political stability, Nepal wants to show that it is a prized tourism destination for the people all around the world.
“Embassy of Nepal in Qatar in collaboration with the Nepali community in Qatar has been organising events to promote Nepal as a tourism destination for Qatari nationals as well as for other expatriates living and working in Qatar,” said Bhattarai.
She said that only four and half hours flight away from Qatar with as many as six daily flights, Nepal expects the residents of Qatar to choose Nepal as their holiday destination in 2020.
She said that as per the plan of Nepal Government for formally launching the campaign globally, the Embassy launched the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign on January 7, 2020.
“Travel and tour operators in Qatar were invited in the programme. Brief presentations were made on the campaign as well as major tourism attractions in Nepal,” said Bhattarai.
She said that Visit Nepal 2020 claims to offer an experience of a lifetime. “The mountain range of Nepal hosts 8 of the 14 mountains above 8000m along with the world’s tallest, Mt Everest. Nepal is a living museum with centuries old palaces, religious sites, ancient architectures,” said Bhattarai.
“It a paradise for trekkers and adventure lovers. Tourists often come here for dirt riding, mountain biking, mountaineering, bungy jumping, paragliding, zip lining and ultra light flying. Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and Lumbini are the most popular tourist sites in Nepal,” said Second Secretary.
She said that visa process for Nepal is very simple. “Qatari citizens along with the citizens of most of the Asian countries can get visa on arrival at the international airport in Kathmandu. Any expatriate living in Qatar can also obtain visa from the Embassy of Nepal in Doha,” She added.
To support the campaign, Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) has announced 30 percent discount on hotel rooms and services and 15 percent discounts on food throughout the year 2020. There are around 2,000 hotels including the luxury star hotels affiliated to HAN in Nepal, which can accommodate 2.5 million guests.
