The PATA Nepal Chapter, in collaboration with the PATA Bangladesh Chapter, has successfully concluded the “Nepal-Bangladesh Tourism Promotion & B2B Exchange” Program, on Sunday.
The program that began from November 16 was a joint collaboration between PATA Chapters of Nepal and Bangladesh, was organized as the post-pandemic tourism recovery initiative to help in promoting each other’s destinations through mutual tie-ups and collaboration for both inbound and outbound tourism between the two neighboring nations.
PATA Nepal Chapter, with the support of its member and partner organizations, hosted the PATA Bangladesh Delegation of 17 members; including the Deputy Director and Secretary of Bangladesh Tourism Board, Chairman and Secretary-General of PATA Bangladesh, 10 tour operators, two media persons and two students from PATA Bangladesh Dhaka University Student Chapter.
The exchange program included the familiarization visit to Pokhara for Bangladeshi delegates including a “Tourism Networking and Interaction Session” organized in collaboration with Pokhara Tourism Council and NTB Pokhara in Pokhara.
The formal function and B2B session held on November 20 at Park Village Resort included the presentations on destination insights and business meetings and networking between 12 Bangladeshi tour operators and 14 Nepali tour operators and tourism service providers.
PATA Nepal Chairman, Bibhuti Chand Thakur during the programmed emphasized the immediate focus to embrace the promotion of “regional travel”, as an action plan, for reviving tourism which would be the most appropriate and convenient for travelers and destination management organizations or service providers.
Since the long haul travel might take a little longer to recover, the nearby destinations, preferably accessible by road or short-haul flights, have more opportunities to build back their tourism, Thakur added.
“Nepal-Bangladesh being so close to each other with less than 1-hour flight, we thought this collaboration expect unveiling a new way forward to strengthening our mutual inbound and outbound tourism business potentials.”
During the function, Shahi Hamid, Chairman of PATA Bangladesh said that he got fascinated with the warm hospitality of Nepal, and there are many alluring tourism products and services in Nepal to attract many Bangladeshi travelers. He said that Nepal used to welcome about 26 thousand Bangladeshis yearly before the pandemic and this can be easily penetrated double with effective promotion and marketing initiatives.
Yadav Koirala, Secretary of Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, expressed his thanks to PATA Chapters of Nepal and Bangladesh for undertaking the needful and timely initiative to promote regional tourism.
He recommended that Nepal needs to enhance its collaborative marketing and promotional events, organise FAM Trips, improve infrastructures (especially road connectivity), and develop extended tour packages for the tourists to Bangladesh and Nepal to flourish tourism in both countries. He further assured that the Ministry of Tourism shall facilitate the necessary cooperation and support at the government level to increase the tourism engagements between Nepal and Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Tourism Board, along with PATA Bangladesh Chapter, has extended an invitation and will be hosting Nepali counterparts in Bangladesh soon to further explore exchange and expand the mutual prospects of tourism development between both countries.
By THT
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