The Embassy of India, Kathmandu, in association with the Nepal Tourism Board, organised the first-ever India Nepal Tourism Meet on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. This historic meeting had two main agendas: promoting Mahakumbh 2025, held in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, one of the places from the Epic of Ramayana, and the other was developing B2B connections to promote circuit tourism between both countries. 13 representatives from India and 60 tour operators from Nepal attended this event.
Arun Kumar, the State Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation of Nepal, inaugurated the meeting. Deepak Raj Joshi, the CEO of the Nepal Tourism Board, admired India as most of the foreign tourists visiting Nepal come from India. Arun Kumar mentioned that cross-border tourism, specifically through road, is a major contributor to Nepal tourism. He also suggested that both countries focus on cross-border connectivity, especially in remote areas like the Sudurpaschim Provenance.
The Deputy Chief of Mission in the Indian Embassy, Prasanna Shrivastava, highlighted physical and digital connectivity development as the driver of tourism flows between both countries. He also stressed the need for constant efforts from both sides to leverage the full potential of cross-border tourism. This would include promoting religious and cultural circuits involving places in Nepal and India.
Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department showcased preparations for the Mahakumbh, which is held every 12 years and will take place from January 13 to February 16.
The event ended with a beautiful Kathak performance by an eight-team group from India, supported by the ICCR (Indian Council of Cultural Relations). As part of this event, all the attendants enjoyed a familiarisation trip organised by NTB from Uttar Pradesh to Janakpur, Nepal, and Kathmandu between December 8 and 9.