Bandipur plans for ‘Visit Year 2025’

The ‘Bandipur Visit Year, 2025’ is being organized to promote tourism, identify new tourist destinations, create employment opportunities, and stimulate economic activities in Bandipur through tourism promotion.

At an event held in Kathmandu, Bandipur Rural Municipality Chairperson Surendra Bahadur Thapa announced that the Rural Municipality has formed a 21-member Visit Year Secretariat, coordinated by tourism entrepreneur Baish Gurung, to ensure the Visit Year’s success.

Thapa shared that the Secretariat includes representatives from the Hotel Association, Restaurant and Bar Association (REBAN), Tourism Development Committee, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Homestay Federation, among others.

“The Bandipur Visit Year has been organized with the vision of creating a prosperous and culturally vibrant Bandipur through responsible tourism, while conserving and developing its natural and cultural heritage. Our goal is to increase tourist arrivals to 200,000 annually,” he said.

Secretariat Coordinator Baish Gurung explained that the initiative aims to double the number of tourists by promoting Bandipur both domestically and internationally during the Visit Year. “We plan to attract 100,000 domestic and 100,000 international tourists in the Visit Year,” he said. “Our target is to reach 800,000 tourists annually within the next three years, using the Visit Year as a foundation.”

According to Gurung, tourists will typically stay for an average of three days. Foreign tourists are expected to spend an average of $75 daily, while Nepali tourists are expected to spend Rs 3,000 daily. Currently, Bandipur has 75 hotels and four homestays, with the entire rural municipality offering 120 hotels and 12 homestays, which can accommodate 1,700 people daily.

To achieve this, necessary infrastructure will be developed, and new destinations will be identified, developed, and promoted. Gurung emphasized that the Visit Year will create additional employment and self-employment opportunities in the tourism sector, increase investment in hotels and restaurants, and position Bandipur as a major tourist destination in Nepal.

Tourism expert and President of Heritage Nepal, Harish Gurung, noted that they expect to promote cultural, religious, and rural tourism circuits while preserving the area’s cultural heritage.

To attract tourists during the Visit Year, the rural municipality plans to create tailored packages based on tourists’ age and interests, along with promoting the slogan “Let’s earn in the village, enjoy in the village,” to encourage public participation in environmental protection.

The rural municipality estimates that a total of Rs 44.35m will be needed to make the Visit Year successful. The estimated expenditure includes commitments expected from the federal, provincial, and local governments, as well as various national and international government and non-governmental organizations.