KATHMANDU, NEPAL, JANUARY 31, 2002: The Nepali government will give high priority to religious tourism and make it one of the major components for the tourist attraction campaign, the Kathmandu Post said Thursday. The Nepali government will concentrate its programs mainly at Pashupatinath where a large number of Hindus will come for worship during the Maha Sivaratri festival on March 12, 2002, and Lumbini where the festival of Buddha Purnima, which falls in May, will attract large numbers of Buddhists. The target number of domestic and foreign tourists for Maha Sivaratri is 400,000, says Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Bal Bahadur. The Nepali government has taken a number of initiatives recently to attract tourists, including reducing visa fees, easing visa procedures and opening up more peaks for trekking and expeditions.
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