The second convention and third annual general meeting of the Women Tourism Entrepreneurs Forum (WOTEF) has elected a new working committee under the President of Parbati Pandey. The forum has Uma Regmi Bhandari as vice president, Mamata Neupane as secretary, Sharmila Neupane as joint secretary, Laxmi Lamichhane as treasurer and Sharda Bhujel as co-treasurer. Similarly, Gomadevi Adhikari, Manju Subedi, Kanti Adhikari, Maya Subedi, Rita Regmi Poudel, Bhavana Ranabhat and Lalumaya Bhandari, Mithu Devi Lamichhane, Sushila Sigdel, Sunti Purja and Sushila Bhandari are among the members.
On the occasion, newly elected President Pandey expressed his commitment to move ahead by strengthening the role of women entrepreneurs in the promotion of tourism in Pokhara. In the inaugural session of the convention, Gandaki State Assembly member Rajiv Pahari said that women have directly and indirectly contributed to the development of tourism and pointed out the need to provide more opportunities to women entrepreneurs involved in the development of the region. He informed that Rs. 192 billion direct investment and Rs. 500 billion private sector investment are at risk due to Covid-19.
Manju Devi Gurung, Deputy Chief of Pokhara Metropolitan City, said that economic empowerment would make women self-confident and expressed the view that women should move forward by seeking their role for social transformation. Gopi Bahadur Bhattarai, president of the Pokhara Tourism Council, said that cooperation with all was indispensable for the development of the tourism sector. Agni Kandel, coordinator of the Internal Tourism Revival Committee, pointed out the need to focus on internal tourism promotion programs to speed up the sluggish tourism.
Similarly, The founding president of the WOTEF, Jamuna Parajuli, said that the forum has been organizing various programs for the development of leadership and personality of women active in the tourism business. At present, 200 women tourism entrepreneurs are involved in the forum.
