The board geared up to finally execute the two-year-old plan after the government expressed commitment to support it get due diplomatic clearance for establishing the office in the Indian capital. [break]The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation had recently discussed the issue and granted permission to the NTB to move ahead with the plan.
"If things moved as per the plan, we will have the office set up within this year,” officiating CEO of NTB, Subash Nirola, told Republica. Nirola, who just returned from New Delhi where he attended SAARC Tour Operators´ Conclave, said he has unveiled the plan to the regional tour operators as well as the Indian policymakers.
NTB had announced to open promotional offices in India and China in 2010. Its attempt to open office in India had not materialized after it failed to garner necessary permit from the Indian government.
Nirola, however, is optimistic about getting diplomatic clearance this time as the government has expressed commitment to lead the diplomatic formalities. "The process is rigorous, but we are optimistic about getting the clearance," he added.
Following the ministry´s nod, NTB has requested the government to help it acquire space for the office. "Our request is that the government should either allocate us a budget for paying office rent or provide us the space at the Nepal Airlines Corporation´s (NAC´s) office in the Indian capital," said Nirola.
The board has expressed commitment to bear other costs of operations, such as staff and logistics expenses, on its own.
"The office at New Delhi is a must as India is not just the largest tourist generator for us, but also holds a huge potential,” said NTB Spokesperson Aditya Baral. "The marketing office there will help us promote our destinations more effectively."
However, some of the officials at the ministry opine otherwise. "This is not the right time to open the office because the board itself has not been able to function properly," said a senior ministry official. "If we set up the office at this juncture, it will only add cost without delivering desired results."
India is the largest tourists generating country for Nepal. Nepal welcomed a total of 97,165 Indian tourists in first half of 2012, recording a growth of 28.9 percent compared to arrival figures in the same period last year.
Related story
PPMO approves NTB's guidelines for foreign programs and expense...
