India may include Nepal in Leave Travel Concession list

As Nepali tourism braces better prospects in the changed political scenario, India has said it might include Nepal in the list of its state-sponsored Leave Travel Concession (LTC), the Kathmandu Post newspaper reported on Thursday.

According to the report, if the country is included in the list, it will place Nepal as a travel destination for 2 million Indian civil servants and their spouses. Currently, India offers the facility for domestic travel only.

"Ministry of Tourism and Culture of India is considering the proposal to include Nepal in its concession-destination positively, " Indian Tourism Minister Ambika Soni was quoted by the newspaper as saying in an exclusive interview.

Soni said the Indian government realizes the importance of the proposal to Nepal and was positive about it.

However, she added that since the facility was limited to travel around India, it will call for amendment in existing rules, which may slow the actual proceeding to materializing the proposal.

Under the LTC facility, the Indian government sponsors the travel cost of the civil servant and his spouse. The facility is provided every two years.

Given the size of the Indian civil servants, the government and tourism entrepreneurs here have long been requesting India to include Nepal in the list of LTC facility destination.

Nepali entrepreneurs mainly have been arguing that traveling to Nepal will in fact be cheaper for Indian nationals than visiting far-flung corners of India, and hence, will not create financial pressure on the government.

Also, the increased air linkages and visa-free entry to Nepal via land routes makes traveling to Nepal equally convenient.

The second Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectorial Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) tourism ministers' roundtable and workshop concluded in Kathmandu on Tuesday with the signing of a Kathmandu Declaration and adoption of a 14-point Plan of Action.

The declaration asked the respective member countries to facilitate the private sector to develop joint products and encourage travelers in one country to visit other member countries.

Attending the meeting, Soni, who is in Kathmandu for the first time, said she was enchanted by the city's beauty.

"We Indians take pride that we have three world heritage sites in Agra. I am amazed the Kathmandu Valley has seven world heritage sites," she said.

The Indian minister said Nepali tourism has bright prospect and will perform better if the country managed to tie hands with regional leaders in tourism.

Source: Xinhua