Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat Singh Bhandari on April 11 launched Nepal Tourism Year (NTY) 2011 campaign in Pokhara, the first regional launch for the year-long tourism promotional campaign after its formal inauguration in Kathmandu on February 26.

The NTY National Coordination Committee plans to launch the campaign also in Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa and Biratnagar to raise awareness among local people.

Bhandari launched the campaign in the lake city by lighting a special torch amid a ceremony at Pokhara Stadium attended by thousands of people from all 16 districts in the region.

"By observing the campaign, we plan to welcome 300,000 domestic and 500,000 international tourists to Pokhara in 2011," Biplav Poudel, western regional coordinator of the campaign, said. He also said all need to work in coordination to raise tourists' daily expenditure in Pokhara to $100.

Representatives of different political parties expressed commitments not to call bandhs and strikes in 2011for the success of the campaign.