Kathmandu, 2 March: Nepal has been promoted at the first-ever trilateral tourism expo (Nepal India China Expo) NICE-2025, organized in Nepal. The exhibition was organized in Pokhara from 24 February to 26 February with the aim of attracting more tourists from neighboring countries India and China and enhancing coordination and cooperation in tourism promotion.
The expo, organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal Chapter in collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board, Pokhara Tourism Council and other government and private sector stakeholders, attracted over 100 international participants and over 600 representatives from 14 countries, including national tourism stakeholders. The exhibition brought together government and private sector tourism and hospitality stakeholders from the three countries to provide them with professional experience, networking and business opportunities.
Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nepal Tourism Board, says that organizing the Tri-Country Tourism Exhibition in Nepal is an important issue in itself and has played a role in highlighting the potential of Nepal’s tourism.
“The main objective of the expo is to bring the world’s two largest ‘outbound’ markets to Nepal and to benefit from tourism,” he said. “The expo also plans to enhance Nepal’s capacity by organizing international events. Another important thing is that it has become a useful forum for promoting Nepal by inviting reputable travel tour operators, media and influencers to visit Nepal’s tourist destinations.”
In 2019, the Nepal Tourism Board had conceived the NICE program targeting the Visit Nepal Year 2020. The NICE program was also stopped after the Visit Nepal Year itself was postponed due to the Corona pandemic. CEO Joshi says that the NICE program, which has now been successfully completed in collaboration with stakeholders including PATA Nepal and Pokhara Tourism Council, will be relevant in attracting tourists to Nepal from two major neighboring countries in the future.
India and China are considered major source markets for tourism. The expo was successfully concluded and helped promote Nepal as a destination, the organizer PATA Nepal Chapter said in a statement on Saturday. Tourism professionals said the exhibition contributed to attracting maximum tourists from the two neighboring countries, India and China.
Earlier, while inaugurating the expo, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey had expressed confidence that NICE-2025 would reflect the deep historical, cultural and economic ties between Nepal, India and China. He highlighted Nepal’s strategic role as a bridge between the two neighboring nations and the potential to benefit from its large population and rapidly growing economy.
Minister Pandey said that the government is committed to strengthening the tourism industry by improving infrastructure, resolving challenges at Nepal’s international airports, addressing the European Union’s (EU) air safety restrictions, streamlining the visa process, enhancing connectivity, and ensuring world-class tourism services.
Gandaki Province’s Minister for Industry and Tourism, Mitra Lal Basyal, said the program was useful in highlighting the province’s immense tourism potential and attracting foreigners. Pokhara Metropolitan City spokesperson Motilal Timilsina also said that NICE would help promote tourism.
Similarly, PATA Nepal Chapter President Khem Lakai emphasized the need to establish Nepal as a major destination by utilizing the two major source markets of India and China. Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid congratulated Nepal for organizing the expo and expressed confidence that the event would play a role in promoting strategic alliances and exploring new opportunities in the tourism sector.
