By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Jan. 8: Visit Nepal Year (VNY) 2020 was launched in different countries on Tuesday. Nepali embassies and diplomatic missions abroad organised special function in respective countries for the national tourism campaign.
The event was organised to promote the tourism campaign in source market to meet the target of bringing 2 million tourists in 2020.
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai attended a programme organised in Sydney, Australia, by Nepali Embassy there to launch the VNY 2020.
Through his Facebook account, Minister Bhattarai said that launching of VNY 2020 had been organised amidst a grand programme in Sydney in presence of Speaker of NSW State Jonathan O’Dea, political leaders from ruling and opposition parties and representatives of the metropolis.
In the event organised at the parliamentary house of NSW, Minister Bhattarai said that Nepal government was focusing to ensure safe, secure and comfortable journey of tourists in Nepal.
“We have recently launched VNY 2020 campaign to promote Nepali tourism and help it graduate from the status of theleast developed country, he said. “We are not only focusing to bring 2 million tourists but also working to offer safe, secure and comfortable journey to tourists in Nepal”.
He said that Nepal offers all types of tourism products, including natural, cultural, adventures etc. “None of visitors need to be disappointed from any service and its products in travelling in Nepal.”
He said that the government was focusing on infrastructure development, including hotels, airports and roads across the country for the development of the tourism sector.
He said that two international level airports being built in Pokhara and Lumbini had made significant progress. He said that Nepal was expecting 100,000 tourists from Australia this year. It was around 38,000 last year.
On the occasion, Minster Bhattarai expressed sorrow over the losses suffered by Australia from bushfire and expressed solidarity of the government of Nepal with the attempts being made to control it.
Before the event, a silent rally was also organised in Sydney for the promotion of VNY 2020, Bhattarai informed in his Facebook page.
Meanwhile, Nepal Embassy in Malaysia also organised launching a programme of VNY 2020 in presence of Minister for Tourism, Art, and Culture Datuk Mohamaddin bin Ketapi of Malaysia.
According to the embassy, entrepreneurs from tourism fraternity including aviation service providers and travel agencies were present in the event.
Rohini Khanal, programme manager of VNY 2020, said that around 30 diplomatic

missions organised evenst of VNY in respective countries on Tuesday as per the direction of the government.
Meanwhile, the Embassy of Nepal in China organised the launching ceremony of ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ (VNY 2020) in Beijing on Tuesday.
Welcoming the guests, Ambassador of Nepal to China Leela Mani Paudyal shed light on the campaign ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’, and invited Chinese tourists to visit Nepal for enjoying the country’s unique touristic attractions in nature, culture and adventure.
Recalling President Xi Jinping’s best wishes for the success of Visit Nepal Year 2020 during his State Visit to Nepal in October 2019, Ambassador Paudyal expressed the confidence that the activities to be held this year would help further deepen and expand the people-to-people relations between the two countries.
According to the Embassy of Nepal in China, Executive Vice President of Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (BPAFFC) Zhang Qian said that Nepal was emerging as a favorite destination for Chinese tourists, and expressed the hope that Visit Nepal Year 2020 would inspire more and more Chinese people to visit the country for experiencing its unique natural and cultural richness.
She assured full support for the efforts in promoting Nepal’s tourism in China and wished VNY 2020 a complete success.
In her speech, Xu Qing, Goodwill Ambassador for the Promotion of Visit Nepal Year 2020, recalled her recent visit to Nepal and highlighted the immense possibilities of Nepal tourism sector.
She urged the Chinese people to visit Nepal for its unparalleled natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich diversity.
The Deputy Chief of the Mission, Sushil K Lamsal, made a presentation on Visit Nepal Year 2020. Nepali food was served to the participants, and souvenirs with the message of Visit Nepal Year 2020 were distributed.
The government had issued directives to diplomatic missions to organise launching event of VNY 2020 on January 7, Khanal said.
He said that the launching programme was organised on Monday in Hong Kong and Abu Dabhi of United Arab Emirates. The launching event in some countries had been postponed due to cold, he added.