Kathmandu: In a landmark move to promote Nepal’s tourism industry on the global stage, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) is set to open its first-ever international promotional office.
As per the budget for the current fiscal year 2025/26, NTB will establish a branch office abroad for the first time to actively promote Nepal in international markets.
The board has officially announced that it will operate a fully functioning promotional office to run regular marketing campaigns overseas. NTB’s CEO Deepak Raj Joshi confirmed that the first office will be set up in Delhi, India, and a preliminary field study has already been conducted.
Coordination is ongoing with Nepal’s Consulate General in India to facilitate the process, and the budget has allocated funds for this initiative in India for the current fiscal year.
According to CEO Joshi, plans to open a tourism office in Delhi date back nearly 15 years, but previous efforts had failed. “This time, the board has finalized the decision to open the office in Delhi,” Joshi said, adding that offices in China, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the United States are also part of a longer-term expansion plan.
Alongside international offices, NTB will also establish regional offices in Lumbini and the Far West this year, the first time it will open branches outside Kathmandu beyond Pokhara. The aim is to extend the board’s presence across all seven provinces in the coming years to promote and market domestic tourist destinations more effectively.
The board has emphasized working in partnership with the private sector, including travel agencies, trekking companies, hotels, and airlines, to carry out promotional activities.
“Our promotional strategies have always relied on collaboration with the private sector, and this will continue moving forward,” Joshi said.
From the NTB’s Rs 1.6 billion budget for this fiscal year, 70 percent has been earmarked for international marketing, with the India office being one of the top priorities.
India remains Nepal’s largest source of tourists. Over 400,000 Indian visitors travelled to Nepal in 2024 alone. Establishing a permanent office in Delhi or another major Indian city is now in its final planning phase.
Furthermore, the budget includes allocations to establish and operate new provincial offices, with Rs 116.6 million designated for this purpose.
In terms of promotional activities, the board has allocated Rs 436.1 million for tourism market development and promotion, Rs 129.5 million for public relations and communication, Rs 26.7 million for research, planning, and monitoring, Rs 186.35 million for heritage and resource development, and Rs 46.2 million for special events such as the Buddhist Travel Mart, Himalayan Travel Mart, Adventure Travel Mart, Sagarmatha Samman, and Safari Tourism Mart.
NTB also plans to conduct promotional campaigns in key markets such as the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, and various European countries.
With the theme “Nepal: A Lifetime Experience,” the board aims to participate in major global tourism fairs and will prioritize digital marketing, collaborations with international media, travel bloggers, and familiarization (FAM) tours for journalists.
Comment Here