Fifth edition of the Himalayan Travel Mart begins

Photo Courtesy: PATA Nepal Chapter/Facebook

KATHMANDU, JUNE 4: The fifth edition of the Himalayan Travel Mart (HTM), an international tourism fair aimed at promoting Nepal’s tourism industry, kicked off in Kathmandu.

The event is a collaborative initiative of the Nepal Chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), Nepal Airlines, and several national and international tourism organizations. More than 700 representatives, including over 100 international delegates from 30 countries, are attending.

The three-day event opened yesterday with a conference titled “Mountain: Milestone and Momentum.” On the occasion, NTB Chief Executive Officer Deepak Raj Joshi remarked that the Mart would play a pivotal role in promoting Nepal’s tourism destinations on the global stage.

He noted a significant increase in the number of tourist destinations across Nepal in recent years. Reflecting on Nepal’s changing demographic landscape, Joshi pointed out that while the rural-to-urban population ratio was 70:30 three decades ago, it now stands at 50:50. “As we move towards urbanization, our tourism continues to remain deeply rooted in nature,” he added.

HTM Coordinator and PATA General Secretary Narendra Dev Bhatta stated that the event aims to strengthen Nepal’s tourism connectivity with international markets while also boosting domestic tourism.

More than 20 national and international speakers are scheduled to present insights on various themes, including spiritual, adventure, and luxury tourism, sustainable travel, emerging market trends, current challenges, and opportunities in the global tourism industry.

As part of the Business-to-Business (B2B) segment, this year’s Mart is expected to host over 60 buyers from countries such as the United States, various European nations, Australia, South Africa, Russia, and members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). More than 65 sellers from six countries—including Nepal, India, Bhutan, China, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka—are also participating, according to PATA Nepal.

The formal inauguration ceremony of the Mart is scheduled to take place this evening.