June 7: The third edition of Himalayan Travel Mart kicked off in the capital on Thursday, June 6.

Nepal has been organising this event since 2017 to promote this country as the ‘Gateway to the Himalayas” as well as to potray Nepal as an adventure tourism destination in front of the world.

Inaugurating the event at Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli informed the audience that Nepal, a naturally beautiful country, is an ideal destination for adventure tourism.

He said that such event is the right medium to develop new tourism products.

Meanwhile, State Minister for Tourism Dhan Bahadur Budha said that the Himalayan Travel Mart showed that the government was serious about developing the tourism sector. He added that the event would help promote the Visit Nepal Year 2020.

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) is organising the four-day event in Kathmandu from June 6 to 9 in collaboration with Nepal Chapter of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and different stakeholders of the tourism sector.

About 700 delegates from 43 countries are taking part in the Third Himalayan Travel Mart including 140+ international and national guests and delegates.

The conference shall witness about 20+ world-class speakers, thought leaders, spiritual leaders, mystics, religious gurus, influencers and international tourism experts who will discuss and provide unparalleled insights on the various subjects including spiritual tourism,  adventure travel trends, responsible and sustainable tourism, digital transformation and new trends in tourism, and travel media trends.

According to the organisers, the Buyers and Sellers Meet this year will witness the participation of 58 buyer organizations from 30 different countries including the USA, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and CIS countries, Asia and the Gulf region and 54 seller organizations or exhibitors from six different countries including Nepal, India, Bhutan, Pakistan, China and Thailand.