Tourism Board Briefs International Committee of HoR on Sectoral Challenges

Kathmandu: The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) briefed the International Relations and Tourism Committee (IRTC) under the House of Representatives (HoR) on the challenges and issues facing Nepal’s tourism sector.

During a meeting held in Singha Durbar, Deepak Raj Joshi, NTB’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), presented an overview of Nepal’s current tourism status, annual progress, future strategies, and existing challenges.

CEO Joshi stated, “In the current fiscal year 2081/82 (2024/25), we have generated revenue of NPR 933.5 million. For the upcoming fiscal year 2082/83 (2025/26), we have set a revenue target of NPR 1.32 billion.”

Joshi informed the committee that NTB has participated in 25 international tourism fairs across cities in the USA, Europe, China, India, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East to promote Nepal’s tourism. Additionally, in collaboration with Nepali embassies abroad, the Board has organized 15 destination promotion programs, enhancing the role of diplomatic missions in supporting sustainable tourism development in Nepal.

He further outlined structural and systemic challenges that persist in Nepal’s tourism development. “The main issues include inadequate basic infrastructure, lack of clear destination promotion strategies, shortage of skilled workforce, concerns over health and safety, seasonal tourism trends, institutional sustainability gaps, policy instability, and a lack of quality tourism products,” he said.

During the meeting, Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey stressed the importance of gaining the trust of the private sector to boost investment in tourism, stating, “We are working to facilitate the private sector through the Tourism Board. They are confident and motivated by this facilitation. The Tourism Board also acts as a think tank and will move ahead more strategically.” 

According to the Board’s long-term vision, Nepal aims to attract 2.5 million international tourists annually, create 1.4 million jobs, and generate tourism revenue of NPR 250 billion in the coming years as NTB aims to rebrand Nepal as “the world’s most experiential and memorable destination.”