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Fifth edition of ‘Himalayan Travel Mart’ begins in Kathmandu



Internal tourists enjoying snow in Badimalika area, 2025.

Kathmandu, June 3: The fifth edition of the Himalayan Travel Mart (HTM), an international tourism fair aimed at promoting Nepal’s tourism industry, officially began today at Hotel Soaltee in Kathmandu.

The event is organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal Chapter and the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), in collaboration with Nepal Airlines and several other key national and international tourism organizations.

This year’s mart features participation from over 700 representatives, including more than 100 international delegates from over 30 countries, along with tourism professionals and stakeholders from various sectors.

The mart will run through June 5, and its opening day featured a conference on the theme “Mountain Milestone and Momentum”. Speakers at the session emphasized the need for integrated efforts and practices for sustainable tourism development.

Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer of the Nepal Tourism Board, noted that the mart plays an important role in showcasing Nepal’s destinations globally and supporting sustainable tourism growth. He remarked, “Nearly 30 years ago, 70% of Nepal was considered rural. Today, it’s about 50/50. As we move towards urbanization, tourism is increasingly shifting towards nature-based experiences.”

Notable speakers at the event included Andrew Jones, a lifetime member of PATA, Shahid Hamid, Chairperson of PATA Bangladesh Chapter, and actress Nisha Adhikari, who shared their perspectives on tourism development.

Narendra Dev Bhatt, the coordinator of the mart and Secretary General of PATA Nepal, said the event aims to enhance Nepal’s presence in international source markets through strong networking. Since its inception in 2017, the mart has been held annually in June and has become one of Nepal’s leading international tourism trade events.

According to Bhatt, the mart provides valuable networking and business opportunities by connecting global tourism and hospitality professionals, practitioners, and industry leaders.

The conference will feature over 20 national and international speakers, covering topics such as spiritual, adventure, and luxury tourism, sustainable tourism, emerging market trends, and current issues and opportunities in the sector.

The B2B (business-to-business) segment will host over 60 buyers from the United States, Europe, Australia, South Africa, Russia, and CIS countries, alongside more than 65 sellers from Nepal, India, Bhutan, China, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, according to PATA Nepal.

The official inauguration of the mart is scheduled for this evening, the organizers confirmed. #nepal #tourism #PATA #NTB