On the occasion of NATTA's 54th Annual General Meeting, July 13, 2021, Mr. Achyut Guragain, President of NATTA, and Mr. Paras Raj Kandel, Deputy CEO of JBBL, signed the MoU to collaborate on providing financial services to NATTA members. The MoU intends to engage both parties whilst providing Professional Loans and Subsidy Loans (Women Entrepreneurship Loan at Subsidy 6%, Educated Youth Self-employed Loan, and Loan to Youth Wanting to return from Foreign Employment) up to Rs.15 lakhs without collateral based on NATTA's recommendation with a quick loan execution process. The Professional Loan, which was previously only available to professionals such as doctors, engineers, and accountants, is now available to tourism professionals as well with the efforts of NATTA. The collaboration between NATTA and JBBL will look for ways to engage in providing financial literacy programs to various NATTA stakeholders, and JBBL will deploy its CSR funds for various NATTA-related CSR Read More
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As part of skill development training for tourism personnel, NATTA Sudurpaschim in coordination with Nepal Tourism Board and NATTA Central, organized four-day Digital Marketing Training in conjunction with a specialist to familiarize with tourism operations digitally. The training was organized virtually via Zoom with participants from Sudurpaschim Province. At the Closing Ceremony of the training program, with the presence of participants, NATTA Central Executives, NTB Executives, Hon'ble Minister for Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment gave his best wishes to the team.
NATTA in coordination with Ncell is planning to collaborate with NATTA members by designing an exclusive product, especially on roaming offer. The product shall offer the members to have their roaming travel pack with certain voice calls, SMS and data according to the travelled country at a minimal price.
NATTA proposed tourism promotional programs and the estimated budget required for those programs to the Nepal Tourism Board for their budget for Fiscal Year 2078. NATTA involving all its provinces requested to address the estimated budget in their budget program for the promotion of tourism of Nepal.
The Annual General Meeting of UFTAA was held on 28 June 2021 virtually. AGA was updated on the resolution adopted at the EGA to endorse, confirm ratify and approve all decisions taken by the UFTAA Board since 1 April 2020 because of COVID. UFTAA President, on behalf of the UFTAA Board, presented the exhaustive report via the PowerPoint presentation on different aspects. Mr. Yossi Fatael, Vice President of UFTAA and Chairman of IATA & Air Matters through his presentation gave an overview of UFTAA role in IATA matters and the current challenges before the industry. The AGA also briefed about its upcoming projects and detailed the resolutions concerning Vaccine Equity and Rebuilding Restarting-Re-establishing Travel & Tourism leadership, post-pandemic. During the AGA, UFTAA Board was composed at which the following personnel was duly elected: President : Mr. Sunil Kumar Rumalla (TAAI) – India Vice President and Chairman Air & IATA Matters: Read More
Regarding the training to be provided to members of NATTA, several meetings had been held with different organizations. Via online, a meeting was held with the representative of PUM, Netherlands, Mrs. Lajali Bajracharya regarding exploring the several possibilities of training to the tourism professionals on 2nd June 2021. The training shall be organized on various Subjects; Motivational Coaching Sessions, Digital Marketing Training, Promotional Skills. Due to the pandemic, the plan has been currently set for virtual training sessions in several specific areas. While, once it is safe to travel, then physical training can be organized with the Senior Experts. Likewise, NATTA had a meeting with CTEVT Professional, Mr. Ishwar Ghimire at NATTA Secretariat on 25th June 2021. The meeting was held to discuss the curriculum draft prepared for the Travel Agent designed to prepare skilled and employable workforces equipped with necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to Travel Agency Read More
NATTA sent a letter to the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City addressing some reasonable demands in the allocation of budget for the fiscal year 2078/79 for the tourism sector. Some important demands included the tax collection from the municipality for the tourism sector to be only Rs. 5000, waiving off of the tax of home rent for at least 2 years, a committee to be formed with the involvement of NATTA for the restoration and restructuring the heritage sites, increase greenery in and around the city enhancing the touristic sites and implement the concept of Zero Waste. Kathmandu Metropolitan City had asked for suggestions with NATTA for their upcoming Budget for the fiscal year 2078/79.
Meeting with Past President was held via Zoom Application on 16th June 2021, with the presence of all the Past Presidents chaired by Convener of Council of NATTA Past Presidents (CNPP), Mr. RR Pandey. The meeting discussed the modality of the 54th Annual General Meeting and the current issues such as the members having difficulty in getting seats of flights, Chartered/Scheduled flights and IATA BSP Link Fee. Though in the pandemic situation, Past Presidents praised the active role of the NATTA Board and President during these times.
The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) reduced the price of international aviation turbine fuel beginning from 7th June 2021 midnight Sunday. Fuel is the largest operating expense for airlines, accounting for as much as one-third of total costs. A 20 percent drop in fuel price, according to airlines, may see a roughly 10 percent drop in ticket prices. The aviation turbine fuel price by a steep 20 percent in a move that could come as a much-needed respite for international airlines. The decision comes amid complaints that the airlines were facing financial pain because of lost revenue in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. With the price reduction, airfares have likely come down that have been a big respite for Nepalese, particularly migrant workers, who were forced to pay a hefty amount for tickets to the airlines operating to and from Nepal. NATTA had also been lobbying and requesting the government to Read More
A Press Release was issued by NATTA on June 4, 2021, demanding Government that there should be ease of standards for the travelers who are willing to travel to country Nepal with only negative RT-PCR Report within 72 hours and no compulsion of quarantine for the fully vaccinated travelers (Nepalese/Foreigner). The new standard then issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) stipulated that photo identification should be mandatory in the PCR Report. As in foreign countries, there is no provision of providing the PCR Report with photo identification and such rules may complicate the travelers and increase the probabilities of being restricted in visiting Nepal. The Press Release also requested Nepal Government to permit international airlines for additional regular flights following the situation. Within 24 hours of the press release, a new circular was issued by CAAN removing the provision of photo identification in the PCR Report.
As the Nepal Government has announced the Budget for the Fiscal Year 2078/79, this year 27.47 billion has been allocated for the programs to be implemented by the Ministry of Tourism. On this year's budget, many demands requested to Government for the budget has been addressed such as concessional loans, reduction in tax, extension date of certain fee payments and so on.
Although the Government of Nepal had allowed regular flights from June 1, 2021, due to the non-cooperation of airlines, NATTA members had faced difficulties in issuing new tickets and rescheduled tickets. A joint letter from NATTA IATA members was received stating about these issues distinctly for Qatar and Turkish Airlines. As per the request handed over to NATTA, NATTA drew attention to this issue along with the same letter to the CEO's of the international airlines Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines requesting them to provide a fair and reasonable price to the agents and facilitate the tickets without any difficulty and resolve this issue in an amicable way to the soonest. The airlines had responded to NATTA with the explanations of limited permission of flights and clarification of the cost of chartered flights are normally costly. Also previously, NATTA had collected the details of complaints through a Survey from IATA Read More
At the time of the ban on international flights by the Nepal Government during the second lockdown situation, NATTA requested the Government and every concerned organization to schedule the flights according to the collected details of stranded tourists of their respective destinations. NATTA requested to at least allow three international flights to each airline in a week to operate during the situation at a fair cost. On May 18, 2021, NATTA issued a press release with a strong urge to arrange the scheduled flights than to emphasize the chartered flight as those flights had been controversial in the past, especially in the previous lockdown situation. NATTA also had collected the details from Members of their clients who were stranded in Nepal due to the sudden lockdown situation. The collected data and request letter to open the scheduled flights was also send to the Secretary of Tourism. Nepal Government had extended Read More
With the received permission for the operation of special flights, the Embassy of India had requested special coordination with NATTA to evacuate the Indians Nationals who were stranded in Nepal to travel to Gulf Country (Saudi Arab). On the request, on 7 May 2021, NATTA sent the first three team names with five agents each to the Embassy of India that was collected on First Come First Serve Basis via a circular, sent to members. A total of fourteen flights; seven flights from Nepal Airlines and seven flights from Himalaya Airlines was conducted for the evacuation.
As the government enforced a 15-day prohibitory in the national capital Kathmandu and other districts in Nepal till midnight of May 12 as the country grapples to contain the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The movement of vehicles is banned in the valley during the prohibitory period and only essential services will operate and most of the services will remain closed until the prohibitory order is lifted. Therefore for the relaxed movements of tourists and the entrepreneurs for their ease of workings, NATTA lobbied with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil aviation to have the easy Vehicle Pass for the members. NATTA had collected the number of requests from the Members to provide the Vehicle Pass. However, after several urges, NATTA had been provided with a limited number of pass for the Vehicles. The vehicles have been assigned from NATTA and are continuously available to our members operating 24/7 for emergency Read More
The 21st Agency Program Joint Council (APJC) meeting was held virtually on 28th April 2021 to discuss the issues on the latest BSP updates and the financial criteria. On behalf of NATTA, it was chaired by Senior Vice President Mr. Binay Basnet. Likewise, the internal APJC Committee Meeting was held on 13th April at NATTA Secretariat to discuss the suggestion from our members regarding IATA/BSP issues and to prepare for the 21st APJC meeting chaired by APJC Chairman and Secretary General Mr. Sudhir Kumar Upadhyay and NATTA APJC Committee Members.
The government started vaccinating tourism workers in Kathmandu valley. NATTA and other tourism associations had requested the Government to start the vaccination as the priority to the tourism-related industries for safety and security purposes. Therefore, NATTA Members could as well get vaccinated as suggested by Nepal Government. The process of the vaccination started on April 7th, 2021 to April 11th, 2021, where people aged 18 to 59, went to the hospitals listed for the sole purpose of vaccinating the entrepreneurs. However, entrepreneurs who missed vaccinating on the previously allotted five days with their official identification can visit the listed hospitals as NATTA had again requested the Department of Health Services. Members only needed to have a recommendation letter from the association or the company or an office ID for getting the vaccination.
The latest consultation meeting of the Tourism Sector Working Group (SWG) formed in the coordination of FNCCI was held on 25th April 2021 to share the progress of SWG activities and collect inputs of the association. President Mr. Achyut Guragain, Treasurer Mr. Kumar Mani Thapliya had participated in the respective meetings
