Nepal Eases Travel Restrictions, Drop Requirement of PCR Test For Fully Vaccinated Travelers

Nepal has recently announced a series of measures to make it easier for fully vaccinated international travellers to enter the Himalayan country. Foreign tourists can now travel to Nepal without having to undergo a pre-departure RT-PCR test. They can just produce and provide a vaccination certificate indicating they are fully vaccinated against the Covid-19.

These relaxing measures come in a bid to boost tourism recovery in the Himalayan nation.

On March 7, the Covid-19 Crisis Management Coordination Center (CCMC) of the Government of Nepal agreed to eliminate the PCR test requirement for travellers who have completed full Covid-19 vaccination within fourteen days of arrival.

Nepal is also working to restore the country’s battered tourist industry through strategic action plans developed by the National Tourism Revival Committee in partnership with governmental and private sector tourism players.

The Government of Nepal established the Committee in February 2022, chaired by Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Prem Ale, and nominated Rajaram Giri as the principal coordinator.

The committee has aligned the following immediate initiatives to kickstart its engagement towards tourism revival:

• For fully vaccinated travelers, the mandatory PCR test has been waived.
• For the duration of the revival, domestic flights have agreed to offer special discounts equivalent to Nepali domestic fares to international travelers.
• Hoteliers affiliated with the Hotel Association of Nepal have committed to provide international guests at least a 20% discount on their services.
• The Ministry of Tourism of the Government of Nepal has named Nirmal Purja, the world-famous record-breaking Nepalese mountaineer, as the Goodwill Ambassador for Nepal’s tourism.

It is worth mentioning here that the recovery committee aims to present additional recovery strategies and action plans in April 2022.