In an attempt to connect the travel trade fraternity of Nepal with that of West Bengal, the Consulate General of Nepal, Kolkata, and the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), in association with the Society of Travel Tour Operators Nepal and Buddha Air, hosted a business-to-business networking event themed Nepal Sales Mission at Hotel Hindusthan International in Kolkata on January 30. The B2B meet marked the presence of 30 travel agents and one luxury hospitality player based in Nepal.

Speaking at the event, Jhakka Prasad Acharya, Consul General, Consulate General of Nepal, Kolkata, said, “Indian travellers form the highest number of tourists in Nepal and are highly familiar with the Himalayan country. Nepal is highly safe for solo women travellers. Tourism constitutes the major backbone of the Himalayan land.”

NTB hosted a similar B2B networking session in Varanasi on the same day. Jhakka Prasad Acharya further said, “NTB is looking ahead to organise a roadshow in Chennai sometime in March this year.”

Nepal’s Shree Air is likely to start flight operations in India in the future. Jhakka Prasad Acharya added, “Shree Air will be connecting Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai with Nepal once it receives the clearance from the Indian government.”

NTB is making its presence at major travel marts in India, including OTM, SATTE, IITM and Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF). Narendra Deo Bhatta, Member of the Executive Committee, NTB, informed, “NTB is all set to host road shows in border towns of India like Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Dehradun and Rudrapur in Himachal Pradesh in the current year. Kathmandu, Pokhara and the wildlife destination of Chitwan receive the highest tourist footfall. Mount Everest and Annapurna base camp are high in adventure tourist arrivals. Pokhara and Chitwan pride themselves on sound infrastructure facilities and luxury hotels, forming the ideal MICE destinations.