Kathmandu, Feb. 26 -- Four major political parties have placed tourism at the centre of their election manifestos, promising sweeping reforms in aviation safety, diplomatic efforts to secure additional air entry routes with India, and ambitious targets to double tourist arrivals and spending within five years.

A common thread running through the pledges is a commitment to remove Nepal from the European Commission's air safety list and expand international flights from the country's two new international airports.

The manifesto of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by Rabi Lamichhane, has pledged to double both tourist numbers and their average spending within the next five years, while also increasing the length of stay.

Nepal has...