Tourism entrepreneurs concerned over cancellation of NAC's flights

Tourism entrepreneurs have expressed concern over the cancellation of all international flights of the national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC).

Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) has expressed deep concern over the cancellation of its international flights stating that "it will severely affect the tourism industry that is on the recovery path, as it will disturb the planned visits of several tourists."

"The cancellation has also come at a time when the tourism industry is in dire need of having a strong national flag carrier to accelerate the pace of tourism growth. It is shameful that despite having a strong eight-party government, the NAC continues to move ahead in a pathetic condition," states a press release by the NATO.

"As a mid and long terms plan, the government should immediately begin the process of strengthening the national carrier by adding more aircraft to its existing fleet to make Nepal a successful tourist destination," it added.

The NATO has also regretted the indecision over the selection of Chief Executive Officer at Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). "This has direct impact on tourism promotion in the international market. Therefore, the NATO strongly asks the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to appoint the CEO at the earliest on the basis of meritocracy, not on the inclination to ideology." nepalnews.com sd Jul 31 07