Orientation to tourism service providers in Chitwan
Narayangadh (Chitwan), Jan 18: The Department of Immigration (DoI) organized an orientation programme for the tourism service providers in Chitwan on Sunday. The orientation was related to the Foreign Nationals Management Information System (FNMIS).
It is the first of its kind orientation organized for the tourism service providers outside the Kathmandu Valley. The DoI has mandatorily enforced the system in the star-rated hotels within the Kathmandu Valley from January 1 this year.
The system aims to keep track of the visitors, prevent visa violations and facilitate emergency responses for the foreign nationals in Nepal, thereby strengthening immigration oversight and streamlining communication between service providers and foreign nationals.
The DoI launched the system to ensure the safety of foreign nationals visiting the country and to control potential crimes involving foreign nationals.
The system will be enforced in hotels, airlines companies, home-stay facilities, trekking companies, tours and travel agencies and money exchange outside the Kathmandu Valley from coming March 1, said Ram Chandra Tiwari, Director General of the Department. Tiwari shared that this system would maintain a complete record of the foreign nationals as they arrive in Nepal.
He unveiled the DoI's plan to expand this service nationwide in a phased manner, first in the star-rated hotels within the Kathmandu and then gradually to major tourist destinations across the country, coordinating efforts with the concerned agencies and stakeholders.
Also speaking in the orientation, Chief District Officer of Chitwan, Ganesh Aryal, emphasized that the DoI should deliver in the business-friendly manner and address the procedural problems seen during the implementation of the FNMIS.
President of Federation of Nepalese Journalists' in Chitwan, Basantaraj Parajuli, viewed the implementation of such system would significantly contribute to sustainable tourism. He also called for making the process of implementation of FNMIS convenient and hassle-free.
The orientation programme was attended by the representatives of tourism-related agencies, officials from relevant government agencies, chiefs of the security agencies in the district as well as hoteliers and tourism entrepreneurs in the district.
