The government has shaped a task force to organize a policy regarding publishing advertisements on Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) including other airports around the country.
According to Raj Kumar Chhettri, General Manager of TIA, the stakeholders meeting held on Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has arranged four-member committee with the agreement of Mr. Jagan Nath Niraula, Director of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to create advertising policy within a month. The main motive of the policy is to reflect the original identity of the country.
The policy must decide in which position of commercial advertising is appropriate and all types of advertisements placed on the airport must be tourism-friendly.
MoCTCA, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and representatives of airport are the members of the committee. MoCTCA has been trying hard to remove various commercial advertisements placed on the airport and to post advertisement which makes Nepal’s identity visible and tourism-friendly but has not been able to implement it so far.
The aeronautical revenue in Foreign International Airport is 30 per cent and non-aeronautical is 70 per cent whereas in Nepal’s context, the aeronautical income is 90 per cent while the non-aeronautical income is just 10 per cent, this needs to be changed change. Non-aeronautical income of airports relates to the lease or operation of duty-free and specialty retail outlets, restaurants and other airport services such as currency exchange or luggage wrapping.
The agreement made in the previous advertisements has been terminated and will not be removed unless new advertisement policy is ready. Nepal Tourism Board has agreed to provide digital advertisement services.
According to Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, the visitors who come to the only international airport of Nepal, could see the picture of Nepal’s identity-visible image. He further added that the board will keep digital advertising related to identity and tourism, even though the space has been opened by the airport.
