Kathmandu, June 1
The second edition of Himalayan Travel Mart (HTM) 2018 — a mega tourism event of Nepal — kicked off in the Capital from today.
The three-day event is being organised by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal Chapter with the theme of ‘sustainable road to five million visitors’.
Addressing the inaugural session of HTM 2018, Foreign Minister Pradip Kumar Gyawali said these types of events help in sharing tourism-related information through different media. “Nepal needs to harvest more tourists from around the world and we believe HTM will build the bridge for Nepal’s socio-economic growth.”
The event is expected to be a unique platform, facilitating networking, sharing knowledge, insights and business opportunities among the participants with focus on different aspects of Himalayan tourism.
Deepak Raj Joshi, chief executive officer of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), said that the event also aims to re-define adventure tourism in Nepal.
“HTM 2018 is Nepal’s international travel trade show and a business-to-business event for the Himalayan tourism industry,” he added.
Marcus Lee, chairman of International China Investment Forum (ICIF), had presented a paper on how to lure Chinese outbound tourists to Nepal. Lee suggested building large infrastructure like hotels and airports to grab the attention of high-end tourists from China and around the world.
Similarly, Chris Bottrill, chairman of PATA, also stressed on the need to focus on developing physical infrastructure of tourism sector and products. He suggested improving Nepal’s air transportation service and hospitality business.
Among other sideline events, the HTM 2018 will also feature HTM Travel Conference between buyers, sellers, media and tourism industry stakeholders with international experts. This event will discuss and share contemporary issues, challenges and opportunities in Himalayan tourism.
HTM 2018 will also host an International Travel Bloggers and Media Conference (ITBMC) that will promote Nepal as a promising tourist destination.
The event is being participated by have 160 delegates from 53 countries, with 37 delegates from Nepal. The event is also hosting more than 350 local participants, 107 international travel bloggers or influencers and media persons, 17 high value speakers, 54 international buyers, over 50 sellers from Nepal and international markets and more than 1,500 business appointments, according to the organisers.
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Written by Nikki Hamal
This news first appeared on https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/himalayan-travel-mart-2018-kicks-off/ under the title “Himalayan Travel Mart 2018 kicks off”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
