The entrepreneurs of transport and tourist sector in Pokhara launched a three-day introduction visit since Monday in a bid to restore religious tourism.

Gandaki chapter of Nepal Tourism Transport Entrepreneurs’ Association came up with this scheme in the wake of Covid-19 menace that afflicted tourism industry.

Association Chairman Bobarjung Gurung informed that a team of entrepreneurs related to tourism and other stakeholders would conduct visits to religious sites as Ramgram, Tribebidham, Balmiki Ashram, Sashwat Dham, Maulakalika of Nawalpur and Devghat of Tanahu, among others.

The team visiting religious sites will hold interactions with the people in respective area to know more how the tourism industry has suffered due to Covid-19.

They will also discuss how the religious tourism could be revived. Minister for Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment Bikash Lamsal bade farewell to the team here. He pointed out the need of restoring tourism activities to create jobs and prop up national economy.

Minister Lamsal reminded that the Province government was committed to bringing the tourism industry back to normalcy.

Similarly, Chief of Gandaki Province Office of Nepal Tourism Board, Kashiraj Bhandari, said exploration of new destinations and revival of activities despite Covid-19 were the needs of hour.

The Board will cooperate with other associations for reviving tourism. Welcoming the team in Syangja, Mayor of Putalibazaar Municipality, Seema Chhetri, said many places were waiting for tourism promotion in the district.

Moreover, Coordinator of Visit Year 2019-22 in Gandaki Province, Juddha Gurung, shared the plight that Gandaki Province alone was incurring the loss of Rs 130 million in single day due to spread of coronavirus.

Cooperation from all sides is imperative to normalize this sector, he underscored.