‘Nepal’s image being tarnished by some international firms’

Kathmandu, October 3

A few international rescue and insurance companies have been engaging in negative publicity of Nepal after the government enforced new guidelines for search, rescue and medical treatment of tourists, a senior minister has claimed.

Speaking at a programme attended by the diplomats and honorary consuls in the Capital today, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari said that some international insurance and rescue companies were busy in spreading baseless messages about Nepal after the new guidelines barred their agents from getting directly involved in search and rescue of tourists.

Without naming the international firms, the minister claimed that the new guidelines had not only controlled the rescue malpractices but also sabotaged their ‘illegal’ source of income.

The minister’s statement has come at a time when the government investigation team revealed complete non-cooperation from the international rescue and insurance companies while investigating the rescue scam.

Prakash Sharma Dhakal, member secretary of the investigation team, claimed that most of the rescue and insurance companies, including Traveller Assist, Global Rescue, World Nomads Group, Allianz Malaysia, AXA Malaysia, Fast Cover Travel Insurance, Avant Australia, Dynamic Insurance, Zoom Travel Insurance, Southern Cross Travel Insurance, Bupa Australia and Intana Global had never provided any information to the probe panel during the course of investigation.

“Most of the firms remained unresponsive throughout the period of investigation,” Dhakal told The Himalayan Times, adding that the ministry had written to the major international service providers seeking details of the rescue activities that they conducted in Nepal.

According to him, the panel had sought information from the international firms on the insurance amount paid from the particular company for Nepal visitors, name of the Nepali Bank from where the insurance amount was transferred, name of the Nepali hospital, trekking, travel and rescue companies which got the insurance money as well as any confidential complaints against the Nepali rescue or trekking service providers. “None of the international companies provided any information,” he said.

Minister Adhikari, however, claimed that rescue fraud has now become a thing of the past. “The concerned divisions under different ministries, including home affairs, finance and health, will take necessary action against the companies which were found guilty in rescue fraud,” he said.

During a month-long investigation, MoCTA has prepared a 700-page report recommending action against different local agencies — including eight trekking and rescue companies, four hospitals, and three helicopter companies — for their involvement in the rescue scam.

“There will be a one-door permit system to operate rescue flights in Nepal,” Minister Adhikari said, adding that the choppers would be banned from operating in the country if found not complying with the new guidelines.

Chief Executive Officers at Nepal Tourism Board Deepak Raj Joshi urged all to make Visit Nepal Year 2020 (VNY 2020) a success as it is an integrated campaign that not only focuses on the number but also on increasing the contribution of tourism to national GDP by at least 10 per cent.

Honorary consuls, including Bikram Pandey, Ang Tshering Sherpa and Lisa Choegyal, among others, urged for the prompt tourism services to make VNY 2020 meaningful.

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