Bhaktapur, April 11: All preparations have been completed for the ‘Nagarkot Visit Year-2082’, which will be jointly organized by four municipalities of Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Kavrepalanchok districts from next April 10, with the famous tourist area of Nagarkot as the focal point.
All four local levels have promoted the ‘Nagarkot Visit Year-2082’, jointly organized by Changunarayan, Mandandeupur, Banepa, and Shankharapur municipalities, with the aim of attracting 1.1 million tourists, including 100,000 foreign tourists and 1 million domestic tourists, to Nagarkot.
At a press conference organized today by the Nagarkot Visit Year 2082 Joint Secretariat and coordinated by the Nagarkot Naldum Tourism Development Committee, coordinator of the main organizing committee and mayor of Mandandeupur Municipality, Tok Bahadur Waiba, informed that all preparations have been completed.
He said that model homestays have been set up in villages as part of a plan to offer tourists a taste of various dishes, with the aim of extending the stay of tourists coming to Nagarkot and experiencing local culture and flavors. At the program, Changunarayan Municipality Mayor Jeevan Khatri said that he had announced to celebrate the Visit Year in the first meeting of his term, and now, with the cooperation of all four municipalities, he is going to celebrate the Visit Year to make Nagarkot a tourist hub.
Mayor Khatri said, “In the year-long Visit Year, all four local levels, except Nagarkot, will hold two main programs, and we have moved forward to celebrate the Visit Year at the ward level of our respective municipalities.” Banepa Municipality Mayor Shanti Ratna Shakya said that Shakya can take tourists visiting Nagarkot on a trek to the Chandeshwari Temple in Banepa, connect tourists to the local festival traditions, and take them to lakes, monasteries, and more.
He said, “Due to pollution, the mountains in Nagarkot are no longer visible. Tourists do not stay for long nights just to watch the sunrise and sunset. To attract tourists, the stay of tourists who come to Nagarkot can be extended by visiting Banepa from Nagarkot and then coming back to Nagarkot to stay.”
Changunarayan Municipality Deputy Mayor Ramesh Budhathoki said that local natural and religious heritage will be linked with tourism through the Visit Nepal Year. Bishnumani Nepal, Deputy Mayor of Mandandeupur Municipality, said that work is underway to prepare the municipality’s DPR in partnership with all four municipalities for the overall development of Nagarkot.
It is said that more than 50 stalls will be set up at Batase Danda on the opening day of the Visit Nepal Year. Similarly, along with food stalls, there will be stalls selling agricultural products, a museum of the Gurung community, and separate tableaus from each local level.
