Pokhara street festival to start on December 28

Restaurant and Bar Association-Pokhara (Reban-Pokhara) is organising the 21st road festival at Pokhara’s popular tourism hub at Lakeside from December 28 to January 1.
Sharing the festival slogan ‘Let us enjoy street food and festival of Pokhara’, at a press conference today, the Reban said that this year’s street festival is to be organised coinciding with the government-announced Nepal Visit Year 2020 (VNY2020). A team of Reban also reached Chitwan, Itahari and Janakpur for wider publicity of Pokhara street festival, according to the organiser.
According to festival co-convener Naresh Bhattarai, the festival is being organised with an estimated cost of Rs 7 million while it is expected to earn Rs 8.5 million. “Main attractions of the festival will be national and international cultural programmes, and stage shows,” he said, adding that there will also be exhibition of handicraft, entertaining sports programme, adventurous tourism events, documentary screening, children’s park and performance of various artistes. “Visitors from across the country and Lucknow and Gorakhpur from India are expected to visit the festival.”

Pokhara to observe street festival on World Tourism Day

The Restaurant and Bar Association (REBAN) is organising a street festival on September 27 to mark the World Tourism Day at Lake Side in Pokhara.
The theme of the day is 'Tourism and Jobs, a better future for all', according to the organiser. “The festival will feature cultural performances from various ethnic groups, live music, documentary screening, and food stalls with national and international cuisine among others,” the organiser added.

Trade unions threaten to shut restaurants nationwide

Trade unions of hotels and restaurant workers have threatened to close the restayrents nationawide demanding rollback of a decision to withdraw 10 per cent service charge levied on restaurant bill.
Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (REBAN) – a professional body of restaurants and bars across the country – had last week decided to withdraw 10 per cent service charge in Kathmandu, Sauraha and Pokhara, citing complaints from consumers. It also said that other restaurants and bars in other cities will withdraw the service charge gradually.
All Nepal Hotel Casino and Restaurant Workers Association, Casino and Restaurant Workers Union, and National Tourism and Hotel Associated Workers’ Union organised a rally today demanding REBAN to withdraw its decision of scrapping service chargeand also threatened to close all restaurants and bars from Tuesday, if the decision is not rolled back immediately.
A day after REBAN took a decision to scrap service charge, the trade unions had given a 24-hour ultimatum for rollback of the decision.
The mandatory service charge system came into force on January 1, 2007. Since then, hotel and restaurant customers have been paying 24.3 per cent extra on the restaurant bill as 10 per cent compulsory service charge, 13 per cent value added tax (VAT) and 1.3 per cent service tax. The VAT and service tax go to the government.
REBAN, Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) and trade unions of hotels and restaurant workers had revised the agreement on May 26, 2018 to provide larger share from funds collected from 10 per cent service charge to workers. The agreement had come into effect on June 8, 2018. Under the revision, hotel employees would get 72 per cent, the hotel management would get 23 per cent and HAN would get 2 percent. The trade unions claim that instead of giving workers their due share, REBAN chose to scrap the service charge.
"REBAN has acted against the spirit of the agreement," president of All Nepal Hotel, Casino and Restaurant Workers Association Madhav Pandey said, adding that they are forced to go streets.
However general secretary of REBAN Araniko Rajbhandari said that there was no point conducting protest as the Supreme Court has also issued a show cause notice against the decision. REBAN – also issuing a press note today – said that it is serious about the well being of its workers. “We have already taken needful initiative to implement basic salary announced by the government," the note reads, adding that tips collected from the clients will be distributed among workers.
But the three trade unions affiliated to the ruling and opposition parties have decided to shut down all member restaurants of the Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal for an indefinite period from Tuesday onwards.
"The service charge is workers’ rights and has to be implemented at any cost," according to president of Casino and Restaurant Workers Union Surya Bahadur Kunwar, and president of National Tourism and Hotel Associated Workers’ Union Khemraj Khadka.
But the consumer rights activists have welcomed the REBAN’s decision. The rights group said that the Consumer Act and the Constitution stipulate that consumers not be cheated on the pretext of collecting a service charge.

Newly elected CA members stress tourism

Newly elected Constituent Assembly (CA) members vowed to promote tourism for the economic development of the country.

Nepali Congress CA elect member from Lalitpur-3 Madan Bahadur Amatya said that they would prioritise tourism promotion.

Likewise, another newly elected CA member from Bhaktapur-2, Rameshwor Dhungel said that tourism, agriculture and energy are key sectors the government should focus on. "The country cannot develop economically, unless the government concentrates on tourism," he said, stressing on the development of the ‘homestay'.

During a programme organised here today by Hotel Association-Nepal (HAN),  Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (Reban), Tourist Guild Association of Nepal (TGA Nepal), Nepal Association of Travel and Tour Agents (Natta), PATA Nepal Chapter, Nepal Association of Tour Operators (Nato), Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (Taan), Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (Nara), Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) and Society of Travel and Tour Operators Nepal (Sotto Nepal) to feleicitate 15 newly elected CA members from Kathmandu Valley, president of HAN Shyam Sundar Lal Kakshapati said that the tourism sector contributes to around 2.4 per cent to the total gross domestic product (GDP) but the government is yet to give a serious re look to it.

"The government has, though prioritised tourism industry, it has not been able to help bring any positive development to the sector," he said, adding that the government has even failed to buy a new aircraft for the national flag carrier and construct an alternate regional international airport.

He also urged the government to work together with the private sector for the development of tourism. "The country can earn foreign currency, create employment opportunities, control poverty, promote exports and make regional balance and maintain surplus Balance of Profit (BoP) through tourism promotion," he added.

General Secretary of the Nepali Congress and newly elected CA member from Kathmandu-1 Prakash Man Singh, on the occasion, said that absence of local representatives has also hit the development at the local level that has caused negative impact on the tourism sector. "Dirty roadways, poor drainage system and drinking water have contributed to send a negative message of Kathmandu as an ugly city," he said, urging the private sector to come up with development agendas for the development of tourism sector.