• TravelBizNews > News > Nepal News > Himalayan Travel Mart 2019 – a popular B2B platform for business , tourism promotion

    Himalayan Travel Mart 2019 – a popular B2B platform for business , tourism promotion

    June 9, 2019
    Nepal News
    , ,
    Himalayan Travel Mart 2019 – a popular B2B platform for business , tourism promotion

    By Ramesh Tiwari / TBN —

    Kathmandu, June 9 – Travel professionals and bloggers participating in the 3rd Himalayan Travel Mart 2019 (HTM 2019) have emphasized on concerted efforts for tourism development keeping in view the new travel trends emerging in the world tourism industry in recent years.

    Various speakers in their presentations urged for joint efforts to achieve the goals of responsible and sustainable tourism development.

    “The Himalayas provide natural cooling system to the earth and are sources of water to recharge other parts of the world, “Prime Minister KP Oli said, while inaugurating the 3rd Himalayan Travel Mart here on June 6.

    He urged the international community to invest in the tourism development of Nepal.

    On the occasion State Minister for Culture , Tourism and Civil Aviation Dhan Bahadur Budha said that the HTM 2019 would contribute to make the Visit Nepal Year 2020 a success. VNY 2020 aims to welcome 2 million tourists in the country.

    Secretary for Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Mohan Krishna Sapkota, PATA vice Chairman Wong Soon Hwa, and Chairman of PATA Nepal Chapter Sunil Shakya highlighted on the importance of HMT and tourism products in the inauguration ceremony of the mart.

     “Himalayan Travel Mart will establish new avenues for the promotion and marketing of Nepal’s tourism in the global market establishing Nepal as “Gateway to Himalaya”, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board Deepak Raj Joshi said.

    ‘HTM has created an unparalleled platform not only for the Himalayan tourism industry but also for the global tourism fraternity facilitating for networking, valuable insights and business opportunities , “ Sunil Shakya , Chairman of PATA Nepal Chapter opined.

    Spirit of the Himalayas

    Various speakers during the conference themed ‘spirit of the Himalayas ‘stressed on promoting Nepal as an adventure destination to attract high-end tourists.

    Renowned mountaineer and first Briton to climb Mt. Everest Doug Scott dwelt on preservation of Himalayas and minimizing negative impacts of mass tourism in his keynote address.

    Similarly, Ms. Noire Quintos and Khem Lakai highlighted on adventure travel trends and hospitality education in the conference.

    Venerable Burin Thitakusalo , Vidyadhara Acharya Mahayogi-Sridhar Rana Rinpoche and L.P.Bhanu Sharma spoke on different aspects of spiritual tourism in the plenary session moderated by MD of PATA  Foundation  Ms. Halona Padiachy.

    Tourism crisis management expert Dr. Bert Van Walbeek presented a paper on emotional intelligence and tourism in Nepal.

    Likewise, distinguished personalities Mr. Galeo Saintz , Ms. Nancy Rivards , Sudha Sharma , Ms. Kelley Louise and Dr. Joyce Azzam stressed on responsible and sustainable tourism development in the session moderated by former secretary at Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Dipendra Purush Dhakal.

    Ms. Janicke Hansen, Ms. Lydia Yang and William Vazquez spoke on digital transformation and new trends of tourism and hospitality in a session moderated by Paul Pruangkarn , Director of PATA International.

    International Travel Bloggers and Media Conference

    A total of 38 international travel bloggers, influencers and media delegates participated in the International Travel Bloggers and Media Conference organized during the 3rd Himalayan Travel Mart.

    Travel blogger Cez Krol presented a paper on Travel Brands and Adventure Travel Bloggers/influencers. He suggested on networking and using digital platform for the promotion of tourism products.

    Noted speakers Ms. Noire Quintos , Ms. Janicke  Hansen and Lex Limbu shed light on using social media for the development of tourism industry and promotion of destinations in a session moderated by Sudhan Subedi , senior officer of Nepal Tourism Board.

    General secretary of PATA Nepal Chapter Bibhuti Chand Thakur urged the travel bloggers to write their experiences in Nepal.

    Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign

    On the occasion, Visit Nepal Year (VNY) 2020 secretariat organized a media briefing for VNY campaign to be launched next year to welcome 2 million tourists to Nepal.

    National coordinator of the ‘Visit Nepal 2020’ tourism promotional campaign Suraj Vaidya highlighted on round the year events to attract high-end tourists and sustainable development of tourism. He urged all the stakeholders to work together for success of VNY 2020.

    The government declared 2020 as the Visit Nepal year with a target to achieve 2 million arrivals and daily spend of over $ 75.

    Nepal received 1,173,072 international tourists excluding overland travelers in 2018.The top tourist arrivals are from India, China, Sri Lanka, USA and UK.

    Ms. Nandani Lahe Thapa of Nepal Tourism Board highlighted on the overall conclusion of the event and extended gratitude to all the associations.

    Suresh Singh Budal, CEO of PATA Nepal Chapter, expressed commitment of the Chapter to upgrade quality of the events in the next editions of Himalayan Travel Mart.

    Buyers and sellers meet

    Besides, buyers and sellers representing different countries promoted their business though mutual interaction, business and B2B networking sessions on June 8-9. This Business to Business (B2B) mart offers a unique platform for marketing and promotion of tourism products and services.


    Around 700 delegates from 41 countries including 140 international guests participated at the 3rd series of Himalayan Travel Mart 2019.

    The first two editions of Himalayan Travel Mart in the year 2017 and 2018 attracted the participation of 225 foreign delegates from 53 different countries and 170 foreign delegates from 36 countries respectively.

    PATA Nepal Chapter in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Nepal Tourism Board, PATA International, Nepal Airlines Corporation and other prominent tourism associations organized the 3rd Himalayan Travel Mart 2019.

    June 9, 2019

    Photos : Travel BizNews

    Other News

    • Connecting you with the world of travel and tourism

      Theme Park Expo Vietnam 2025

      28th East Mediterranean Tourism and Travel Exhibition https://emittistanbul.com/en

      Asia Pool & Spa Expo , May 10 – 12, 2025 , Guangzhou , China

      An Opportunity to enter South-East Asian market in 2023

      KAZAKHSTAN International Exhibition “Tourism & Travel” Almaty, Kazakhstan

      CHINA- Beyond your imagination

      China – Lunar New Year 2025 

      This Lunar New Year (LNY) is shaping up to be a festive season of exploration and connection as celebrating families and friends worldwide embrace the holiday spirit.

      This year marks the year of the Snake, a symbol of wisdom, intuition, and transformation — themes that reflect the everchanging travel landscape. While some choose to celebrate at home, others have taken the opportunity to create memories in destinations far and near. With travel back in full swing, Trip.com Group has unveiled its latest LNY trends for 2025, showcasing how travellers are prioritising longer stays, meaningful experiences and unconventional destinations this year.

      Data reveals strong year-on-year growth for cross-border travel, with travellers combining public holidays and annual leave to increase their length of stay.

      Notably, in the Chinese mainland, a key source of LNY travel, New Year’s Eve is officially recognised as a holiday in 2025. This allows travellers to take just two days of leave for an eleven-day holiday. Korean travellers need to take one day for a nine-day break, while Singaporeans can create a five-day holiday with a single day off. As such, extended stays are a hallmark of this year’s LNY. On average, Asia-Pacific travellers will stay up to 10% longer this festive period.

      Popular destinations frequented by travellers who celebrate LNY include Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Chinese mainland. -PRNewswire Jan. 20, 2025 /

      FITUR tourism exhibition

      opens as sector fully recovers

      The 2025 FITUR international tourism exhibition opened  in Madrid, showcasing a robust recovery in the global tourism sector. Over 9,000 companies from 156 countries are participating in the event, which marks the 45th edition of the exhibition. Running until Jan. 26, FITUR is hosting 153,000 industry professionals, highlighting its significance as a key gathering for the global travel industry.

      The United Nations Tourism (UN Tourism) announced Tuesday that 2024 saw international tourism fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1.4 billion international travelers recorded. The organization forecasts further growth of 3-5 percent for 2025.

      Spain, a leading global tourism destination, recently reported a record-breaking 94 million visitors in 2024, underscoring the sector’s resilience and strength.

      Brazil takes center stage as the invited nation at this year’s FITUR. The exhibition also features 10 specialist areas, including cruises, sports tourism, film tourism, and language-learning tourism, reflecting the growing diversity of travel trends.

      The Asia-Pacific region has reached 87 percent of its pre-pandemic tourist numbers, according to the UN Tourism. China has a strong presence at FITUR, with companies such as Enjoy China, Fantastica China, The Chinese Office of Tourism in Spain, and Focus China showcasing their offerings over the coming days. – Xinhua ,Jan. 22 ,2025

      France holds off Spain

      as world’s tourist favourite

      Olympic host France retained its spot as the world’s top tourist destination in 2024 with 100 million visitors, holding off stiff competition from countries including Spain.

      As world tourism returned to pre-pandemic levels with 1.4 billion people taking a trip abroad, according to the UN, both France and Spain announced record visitor numbers.

      Spain said last week that a record 94 million foreign tourists flocked to the Iberian nation in 2024, a 10 percent increase from the previous year.

      France, which hosted the Olympic Games in July – September 2024, welcomed two more million visitors in 2024, an increase of two percent compared with 2023.

      But although France had more visitors, they spent less than those in Spain — 71 billion euros ($74-billion) compared with 126 billion euros in Spain.

      France’s takings from international tourists rose by a total of 12 percent year-on-year, driven largely by Belgian, English, German, Swiss and US citizens, the tourism ministry said in a statement.

      Despite the return of customers from Asia, the number of Chinese visitors to France remained 60 percent lower than before the pandemic.Thirty percent fewer Japanese visited the country than in 2019.

      Good snowfall in late 2024 meanwhile drove a rebound for the end-of-year holidays as snow sports lovers flocked to the French ski slopes.

      “The outlook for the first quarter of 2025 is very good, with visitor numbers on the rise,” the ministry statement added.- enca.com ,22 January 2025

      Nepal hikes Everest climbing fee

      KATHMANDU – Nepal has sharply increased Everest climbing permit fees and introduced a slew of measures aimed at controlling garbage pollution and preventing accidents on the planet’s tallest peak.

      Under the revised rules, every two climbers must hire a guide to climb any mountain over 8,000 metres, including Everest.Under the revised mountaineering regulations, the royalty fee for foreigners climbing Everest from the normal south route in the spring season (March-May) has been raised to $15,000 from the current $11,000 per person.

      The autumn season (September-November) climbing fee has increased from $5,500 to $7,500. At the same time, the permit cost per individual for the winter (December-February) and monsoon (June-August) seasons has risen from $2,750 to $3,750.The new rates will take effect on September 1, 2025.

      The last royalty fee revision was made on January 1, 2015, when the government switched from a group-based system to a uniform fee of $11,000 per climber for the spring season from the normal route.

      For Nepali climbers, the royalty fee for the normal route during the spring climbing season has doubled from Rs75,000 to Rs150,000.Climbing permits, previously valid for 75 days, will now be limited to 55 days. The reduced validity is aimed at streamlining climbing activities.

      As per the amended rules, from the upcoming spring season, Everest climbers will be required to bring their poop back to base camp for proper disposal. Climbers must carry biodegradable bags to collect waste in the upper reaches.

      Base camps typically have designated toilet tents with barrels to collect human waste during expeditions. However, in higher camps, only a few agencies provide similar facilities, while others rely on pits. Very few climbers use biodegradable bags to transport waste from the summit.

      The government has also hiked the insurance coverage for high-altitude workers.Insurance coverage for high-altitude guides has gone up to Rs2 million ($14,400) from Rs1.5 million ($10,800), and for base camp workers, it has been raised to Rs1.5 million ($10,800) from Rs800,000 ($5,760).

      According to the Himalayan Database, which records all expeditions and deaths in the Himalayas, more than 200 people died on the Nepal side of Everest between 1953, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa first scaled the peak, and 2022.

      Nearly 8,900 people have summited the world’s highest peak from Nepal’s side since 1953.- Kathmandu Post , January 22, 2025

      Bangkok named the world’s

      second-best city by Time Out

      The ranking, based on surveys of city dwellers worldwide, highlights culture, food, affordability and overall happiness as key factors in making a city truly great.

      Climbing from 24th place last year to an impressive second place, Bangkok is celebrated for its rich cultural heritage, dynamic food scene, and vibrant lifestyle.

      The city’s affordability is a major plus, with 84% of residents agreeing that dining out, grabbing a coffee, or catching a movie is accessible to all. Additionally, 86% of locals rated Bangkok’s food as “good” or “excellent”.

      One urban expert described Bangkok as “a city of contrasts”, where the scent of sizzling street food fills the air, Michelin-starred restaurants thrive, and the majestic Chao Phraya River flows past luxury hotels.

      The city’s temples such as Wat Arun and the Grand Palace stand as timeless cultural icons, while modern parks like Benjakitti Park provide much-needed green spaces.

      Beyond affordability, the city exudes happiness and warmth. The famous Thai hospitality, vibrant night markets, and world-class nightlife districts like Thonglor and Ekkamai offer endless excitement.

      Time Out has previously recognised Bangkok’s nightlife, listing it among the coolest neighbourhoods in the world. The growing BTS and MRT public transport networks have also made exploring the city more convenient than ever.

      Bangkok’s diverse culinary scene is another highlight, from the bustling Chatuchak Market to the legendary street food in Yaowarat (Chinatown).

      Whether it’s a bowl of boat noodles or an extravagant fine-dining experience, food is an undeniable part of Bangkok’s appeal.

      The No 1 city this year is Cape Town, South Africa, known for its breathtaking landscapes and cultural vibrancy. Following Bangkok in third place is New York City, while Melbourne, London and New Orleans round out the top six. Mexico City, Porto, Shanghai and Copenhagen complete the top 10.

      Thailand’s rising global status is further reflected in Chiang Mai, which secured the 28th spot, adding to the country’s reputation as a must-visit destination.

      With its blend of tradition and modernity, Bangkok is more than just a tourist hotspot – it’s a city where people genuinely love to live. Whether you’re exploring hidden street-food gems, temple-hopping, or dancing the night away, Bangkok remains a city of endless possibilities. -The Nation ,January 20, 2025

      FACTS —

      Tourism helps in:

      👉Reducing poverty

      👉Reducing Inequalities

      👉Promoting gender equality

      👉Fostering decent work and economic growth

      World Tourism Day 2021: ‘Tourism for Inclusive Growth’

      In 2019, Travel & Tourism’s direct, indirect and induced impact accounted for:
      -US$8.9 trillion contribution to the world’s GDP
      -10.3% of global GDP
      -330 million jobs, 1 in 10 jobs around the world
      -US$1.7 trillion visitor exports (6.8% of total exports,
      28.3% of global services exports)
      -US$948 billion capital investment (4.3% of total
      investment)

      Best Tourism Villages 2024

      ” Nihao ! China ” Silk Road Tourism