Kathmandu. The ‘planting’ festival has been organized with the objective of strengthening the country’s economy by linking tourism with agriculture.

DHADING — The Village Tourism Promotion Forum (VITOF) Nepal, which has been active in promoting tourism in the rural areas of the country for the past three decades, organized a sapling festival at Sukaura of Tripurasundari Rural Municipality-7 in Dhading on Sunday.

President of VITOF Nepal, Harisharan Thapaliya, said that the festival was organized with the theme ‘Tourism and Agriculture as the Primary Foundation of Prosperous Nepal: Root of Nepali Economy’. He expressed the belief that the plantation festival, which has been organised with the objective of preserving and promoting local culture, tradition, agriculture and rural tourism, would make a special contribution to the rural economy.

Chairman of Tripurasundari Rural Municipality Raju Upreti said that such festival would help to develop tourism and agriculture as the backbone of Nepal’s economy. Rural municipality vice-chair Devraj Dharel said the local levels have made policies and programmes giving top priority to tourism in recent period.

Founder General Secretary of VITOF, Shambhu Pathak, said that such programs related to tourism would add bricks to the rural development and urged all to be dedicated to the tourism campaign.

VITOF chief advisor Alok Prasai, advisor Deepak Dahal, former president of Tourism Women Network Nirmala Dhamala, former president of VITOF Bodhraj Bhandari and Shiva Lamichhane participated in the festival. The festival is expected to contribute to the publicity of local tourism and agriculture.