September 29: Visit Nepal 2020 Secretariat has collaborated with the Skills for Employment Programme (SEP) Challenge Fund of UKaid to improve and expedite progress on “Tourism and Jobs: A Better Future for All” on the occasion of World Tourism Day, September 27.

The Visit Nepal Year (VNY) 2020 Campaign and the UKaid’s Skills for Employment Programme collaborated for an action-oriented discussion on introducing better skilling and upskilling initiatives to ensure that Nepali workers have access to economic opportunities by remaining competitive in the world of work, and that businesses in the tourism sector have access to the talent they need to enable productivity and growth, reads a statement issued by Visit Nepal 2020 Secretariat.

During the event, Suraj Vaidya, national coordinator of VNY 2020, highlighted the objectives of VNY 2020 and on investing in human capital in the hospitality and tourism sector.

“We need to think and take our tourism mindset and efforts beyond Everest, Pokhara or Chitwan. For us at the VNY2020 campaign, the success is not just bringing in 2 million tourists but also creating new investments, new jobs, and new opportunities for Nepalis, especially our migrant returnees coming back with skills and resources,” remarked Vaidya during his opening statement.

Similarly, Rob Clark of DFID Nepal shared, “This year’s theme ‘Tourism and Jobs: A Better Future for All’ couldn’t be more apt and timely for VNY 2020, for Nepal, and for us at UKaid SEP. There’s perhaps no better way to mark World Tourism Day than by striving to further our dialogue and build partnerships that truly create a better future for all.”

During the event, UKaid SEP also introduced its innovative, market-aligned Challenge Fund and explained how it can be mobilized and leveraged by the private sector, particularly through collective partnership models, to accelerate and achieve skills development of Nepali workforce to generate employment and enable tourism sector growth.