October 11: Top officials of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) have expressed their commitment for continued support to Nepal’s tourism development. 

According to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the top-level officials of the UNWTO assured of continued support to Nepal’s tourism development during a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board Dr Dhananjay Regmi at a programme on Asia Pacific Region’s Tourism Policy and Strategy organised recently in the Maldives.    
NTB's CEO Regmi met with UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili and Director of Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific Harry Hwang in the Maldives and discussed issues related to tourism recovery and other pressing issues of tourism in the post-COVID-19 era, the NTB said in a press statement.    
Dr Regmi reportedly said that the UNWTO officials were willing to support Nepal’s sustainable tourism development, mountaineering tourism development and institutional capacity enhancement.    
“Different countries are receiving various types of support from the UNWTO. They have received direct benefit too. In this context, the meetings with them in regard to support to Nepal remained fruitful,” the statement quoted CEO Regmi as saying.    
The UNWTO officials have also expressed commitment to organise some programmes of Asia Pacific Region in Nepal in 2023, the NTB statement added.    
Dr Regmi also met with Maldivian Foreign Minister and discussed issues related to tourism promotion and mutual cooperation between the two countries, according to NTB.