The “Nepal India China Expo (NICE)” scheduled initially for February 22-25, 2020) has been postponed owing to some unfavorable circumstances, and limitations on the travel of Chinese delegates due to the novel coronavirus outbreak in China.

The Executive Committee Meeting of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal Chapter held on Jan 27, 2020 decided to postpone the event as a matter of precaution to the health and safety of all the delegates and invitees.

Chairman Mr. Bibhuti Chand Thakur said, “At the moment, we are closely monitoring the ongoing crisis (coronavirus pneumonia) in China, and shall endorse an appropriate future date for NICE once the situation seems controlled and favorable for this historic tri-national tourism expo. We request all our registered delegates, invitees, and stakeholders to stay tuned for further updates from the association.”

Mr. Suraj Vaidya (the National Program Coordinator of Visit Nepal Year 2020) said, “NICE is one of our top priority events which shall play an instrumental role for the growth of tourism in Nepal, and we will be working together with PATA for making this a successful event of 2020.”

PATA Nepal Chapter CEO, Mr. Suresh Singh Budal informed that the necessary preparation was almost completed with confirmed participation of 120 Buyers and 50 Exhibitors; however, due to the present unfavorable scenario, the association has decided to organize the event on later dates this year. He said, “It’s a high time to come together to show our solidarity for speedy control and recovery of health crisis; meanwhile, we have to take precautions and work together for the possible risk mitigation and crisis management in tourism.”