PATA Nepal Chapter in collaboration with Nepal Tourism Board and 6 different travel trade companies made a strong presence at the PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart (ATRTCM) which took place from February 13th -15th 2019 in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, with 300 delegates from 28 countries. The private travel trade companies from Nepal participated in the mart were Kailash Group Nepal, KGH Group of Hotels and Resorts, Himalayan Holidays, Community Homestay, Nepali Ghar Hotel, and Abhiwadan Expedition Holidays.

The event, which was hosted by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, brought together international experts at the forefront of the adventure travel industry from both the private and public sectors to discuss the issues and opportunities in travel and tourism. The B2B mart welcomed 47 seller organizations from 10 destinations (Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand) and 44 buyer organizations from 18 source markets (Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the USA).

The one-day conference under the theme ‘‘Rejuvenate Your Soul Through Travel’ examined various conference topics that covered ‘Rejuvenating Your Soul Through Travel’; ‘Storytelling to Sell Travel on Instagram’; ‘Using Sustainability to Future-Proof Our Destination’; ‘Trends to India’; ‘Creating Experiences that are Regenerative’; ‘Marketing to the New Adventure Travellers’; ‘Tourism as a Tool for Rejuvenation’; ‘A Special Story of Indian Rejuvenation’, and ‘Sustaining our Souls: Vision-Driven Leadership in Adventure Tourism’. Ms. Shradha Shrestha, Manager from NTB represented Nepal as a Speaker at the conference plenary session on “Tourism as a Tool for Rejuvenation."

PATA Nepal Chapter Chairman, Mr. Sunil Sakya discussed and invited dignitaries from Indian Tourism, PATA India Chapter and PATA HQ for joint collaboration between Nepal, India, and Bhutan to work together for the development of sustainable and responsible tourism in the region.
The mart provided an ideal platform to promote and showcase Nepal as an ultimate adventure destination offering its diverse adventure products and life experiences with a unique blend of nature, culture, and adventure. It was also a good opportunity for Nepal to promote spiritual offerings of the country amongst the spiritual delegates from Rishikesh and beyond.

“Rishikesh, well-known as the capital of Yoga, itself attracts 35 million religious tourists in the region. India is the largest source markets for Nepal, but the Indian tourist arrival in the country is not still sufficient in comparison of the capacity and potential that Nepal possesses to attract this market. Nepal with its wealth of inspiring spirituality and adventure could attract more Indian travellers to explore the most promising religious sites of the country including Lumbini, Janakpur, Muktinath and many others along with the Pashupatinath.”