Kathmandu, 27 Sep: On the occasion of the 46th World Tourism Day, Nepal has been presented to the world as a safe, open, and tourism-friendly destination. The event was organized by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and coordinated by the Nepal Tourism Board at the Board’s hall on Saturday. Speakers at the program stated that Nepal’s tourism, after facing a crisis following the recent Gen-Z movement, has now reached an upward trajectory. Furthermore, a commitment was expressed to make tourism a pillar of sustainable development.
PM Karki Stresses on Sustainable Transformation and New Destinations
The day was celebrated with the slogan ‘Tourism and Sustainable Transformation’. A goodwill message from Prime Minister Sushila Karki was read out during the program. The message mentioned that Nepal is an attractive tourist destination due to its unique natural beauty, biodiversity, rich multi-ethnic and multi-lingual culture, and world-famous mountains. The Prime Minister emphasized the need to make tourism a strong base of the national economy, stating that the identification, promotion, and development of new destinations is essential. She mentioned that although tourism was affected by the Gen-Z movement, an immediate recovery has begun, and expressed belief that this year’s day would inspire the promotion of tourism as a basis for sustainable development, mutual understanding, and international friendship. She also clarified that the Government of Nepal is committed to making this sector the backbone of the economy by expanding tourism infrastructure and improving service quality.
Officials Highlight Recovery and Private Sector’s Role
At the program, Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hari Prasad Mainali, stated that tourism development is not possible without the active involvement of the private sector, adding that the Ministry is always ready for policy and legal facilitation. Joint Secretary Indu Ghimire also mentioned that tourism has reached recovery in a short period and that the government stands with the private sector for sustainable transformation. Nepal Tourism Board’s CEO, Deepak Raj Joshi, informed that World Tourism Day has been celebrated since 1980 and presented the fact that tourist arrivals have started increasing again after the Gen-Z movement. According to him, before the movement, an average of 3,300 tourists used to come to Nepal daily, but this number dropped to 1,600 during the movement. Arrivals reached 2,200 in the second week and have now reached around 2,900 on average.
Contributors Honored, Book Released, and First Tourists Welcomed
Individuals and organizations making significant contributions to the tourism sector were honored at the program. Api Himal Rural Municipality of Darchula, Chhirring Tendi Sherpa of Solukhumbu for contributing as a climbing guide for over 50 years, Ang Norbu Sherpa for rescue work, Siddhi Bahadur Tamang who has climbed Sagarmatha 11 times and Manaslu 6 times, among a total of 19 individuals and organizations were honored. Similarly, a book titled ‘Gau Paryatan ra Pahichan’ (Village Tourism and Identity) was released during the program. Marking the day, the first tourists to land in Nepal, American citizen George Cordell Branun and Chilean citizen Herzog Amunategui, were given a special welcome at Tribhuvan International Airport.
