NewKerala.com

Nepal and India Unite: How Cross-Border Tourism is Getting a Major Boost

Nepal and India are teaming up to make travel between them easier and more appealing. They recently held a big meeting in Pokhara to figure out how to work together better. A major focus is on creating shared tourist routes, especially for people interested in religious sites like the Ramayana and Buddhist circuits. They're also looking at adventure travel and improving road connections to get more visitors exploring both countries.

Key Points: India Nepal Tourism Meet Promotes Cross-Border Circuits in Pokhara

  • Officials highlighted improved connectivity as a key driver for growing cross-border tourism
  • Both nations agreed to jointly promote Ramayana and Buddhist religious tourist circuits
  • The new Indo-Nepal Tourism Forum will include government and private sector representatives
  • Discussions focused on expanding wildlife, adventure, and spiritual tourism via land routes
3 min read

Stakeholders from Nepal and India stress need for promoting cross-border tourism

Officials from India and Nepal stress joint efforts to boost tourism, focusing on religious circuits, connectivity, and adventure travel during key meet in Pokhara.

"He emphasised the significance of joint efforts by both sides to fully leverage India–Nepal tourism potential – Rakesh Pandey, Deputy Chief of Mission"

Kathmandu, Dec 19

Officials from Nepal and India besides other stakeholders stressed the need for making joint efforts to promote cross-border tourism during the Second India–Nepal Tourism Meet held in Nepal's tourism city, Pokhara, the Indian Embassy in Nepal said.

The Embassy of India in Kathmandu, in association with the Nepal Tourism Board and the Pokhara Tourism Council, jointly organised the event with focus on promoting tourism between Uttar Pradesh and Nepal, with special reference to western Gandaki Province, where Pokhara is located.

During the event, Rakesh Pandey, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy, highlighted improvements in connectivity that are adding further momentum to cross-border tourism. He emphasised the significance of joint efforts by both sides to fully leverage India–Nepal tourism potential, including through the promotion of religious and cultural circuits involving destinations in Nepal and neighbouring Indian states.

The two countries have already agreed to jointly promote the Ramayana and Buddhist tourist circuits. The two governments have entered into an agreement and decided to set up the Indo-Nepal Tourism Forum, with representation from government and the private sector from both sides.

Gandaki Province Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey welcomed the growing tourism cooperation with India in Gandaki Province, especially in Pokhara and Muktinath.

Dinesh Kumar, Joint Director of Uttar Pradesh Tourism, delivered a presentation on tourism circuits in Uttar Pradesh, with special reference to the upcoming Magh Mela. He also shared best practices from Uttar Pradesh in tourism policy implementation.

Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer of the Nepal Tourism Board, noted that India is the largest source of foreign tourists visiting Nepal and highlighted various initiatives taken by the Board to foster India–Nepal tourism cooperation.

According to the Embassy, the Business-to-Business (B2B) event at the meet was attended by about 10 delegates from India and 60 delegates from Nepal. Tour operators from both sides deliberated on potential collaboration, including in Buddhist circuits, wildlife tourism, and adventure tourism.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, discussions focused on promoting cross-border tourism via land routes, Buddhist circuits, wildlife tourism, as well as potential cooperation in adventure and spiritual tourism.

As a continuation of the programme, the Board, in collaboration with the Pokhara Tourism Council, organised a familiarization tour for a delegation from Uttar Pradesh from December 15 to 17.

“The Board expressed hope that the visit would help expand tourism cooperation at a practical level through first-hand experiences of Pokhara and surrounding destinations,” the statement said.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As someone who loves trekking, I hope this leads to more streamlined permits and better infrastructure for adventure tourism in the Gandaki region. The Himalayas are a shared treasure.
A
Aditya G
Good step, but implementation is key. We've had agreements before. The focus should be on making travel seamless - simpler visa-on-arrival processes, better roads at border crossings, and clear tourist information. Hope the Forum delivers practical results.
P
Priyanka N
Pokhara is breathtaking! More Indian tourists should experience it. Joint promotion can boost local economies on both sides. Maybe they could create combined tour packages? Jai Nepal! Jai India!
D
Daniel Q
Interesting to see the focus on land routes. Improving the road and rail network for tourism would be a massive project but could be a real game-changer for the entire region's development.
K
Kavya N
Cultural and spiritual tourism is the perfect way to strengthen our ancient bonds. It's not just about economics, it's about people-to-people connection. Our histories are so deeply intertwined.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50