Kathmandu: The Embassy of India in Kathmandu, in collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board and the Pokhara Tourism Council, jointly organized the 2nd India–Nepal Tourism Meet in Pokhara on 18 December 2025.
The event focused on promoting tourism between Uttar Pradesh and Nepal, with special emphasis on Gandaki Province, and also marked the International Year of Cooperatives.
Chief Minister of Gandaki Province Surendra Raj Pandey attended the programme as the chief guest and welcomed growing tourism cooperation with India, particularly in destinations such as Pokhara and Muktinath.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Rakesh Pandey, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India, highlighted improved connectivity as a key driver of cross-border tourism. He emphasized joint efforts to fully utilize India–Nepal tourism potential, including through religious and cultural circuits linking Nepal and neighbouring Indian states.
Dinesh Kumar, Joint Director of Uttar Pradesh Tourism, presented tourism circuits of Uttar Pradesh, with a special focus on the upcoming Magh Mela, and shared best practices in tourism policy implementation. Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO of the Nepal Tourism Board, noted that India remains Nepal’s largest source of foreign tourists and outlined initiatives to further strengthen tourism ties.
The B2B session was attended by around 10 delegates from India and 60 from Nepal, with discussions focusing on cross-border tourism via land routes and potential collaboration in Buddhist circuits, wildlife, and adventure tourism. As part of the programme, a familiarization trip for the Uttar Pradesh delegation was organized in Pokhara from 15–17 December 2025.
