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

The event is a joint initiative by the Nepal Chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), Nepal Airlines, and various national and international tourism organizations. It is being attended by over 700 representatives, including more than 100 international delegates from 30 countries.

The three-day event opened with a conference titled “Mountain: Milestone and Momentum”. On the occasion, NTB Chief Executive Officer Deepak Raj Joshi stated that the Mart would be instrumental in further exploring and promoting Nepal’s tourism destinations internationally.

He highlighted that the number of tourist destinations in Nepal has significantly increased in recent years.
Suggesting the shift in Nepal’s rural-urban demographics, he said until 30 years ago, the rural-to-urban ratio was 70:30 while it is now 50:50. “As we move towards urbanization, our tourism continues to be deeply rooted in nature,” he said.

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

Over 20 national and international speakers are scheduled to present their insights on topics such as spiritual, adventure, and luxury tourism, sustainable travel, emerging market trends, current challenges, and new 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 including the United States, Europe, Australia, South Africa, Russia, and CIS nations. More than 65 sellers from six countries including Nepal, India, Bhutan, China, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka will also be participating, according to PATA Nepal.

The formal inauguration ceremony of the Mart is scheduled to take place this evening, it has been said.