The Hotel Association of Nepal wants the government to move quickly to allow the Himalayan state’s casinos to reopen, complaining that the closures, imposed earlier this year as a result of long-running tax disputes, are hurting tourism.
A delegation representing the trade group petitioned Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Deepak Chandra Amatya to issue a directive on the issue.
The association says the closures have led to a decline in the number of tourists by nearly 200,000 over the last six months.
Earlier this year, the government closed 10 casinos in tourist hotels nationwide for failing to meet new regulations regarding royalty payments. Casino Royale in the capital of Kathmandu has since been cleared to resume operations by the country’s Supreme Court. Casino Royale had been shuttered for nearly six months. The other nine remain closed pending settlements.
The issue is among several the association has brought before the ministry to improve Nepal’s prospects as a tourism destination. It wants the government to establish offices in various cities around the world to promote the country and says Nepali airlines need support to enable them to run international flights.
The government has set a target of 2 million international visitors by 2020.
