Nepal to host international Adventure Travel Mart

Nepal to host Adventure Travel Mart

KAMAL RAJ SIGDEL  

THE KATHMANDU POST, OCT. 22

Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in association with other stakeholders, including Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) is hosting a first-of-its-kind international conference on adventure travel and tourism in Feb. 1-5.

The event named as Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2010 (AT&RTCM) is expected to help meet the government’s target of brining in a million tourists in the Nepal Tourism Year 2011, according to First Vice President of PATA Nepal Chapter and NTB CEO Prachanda Man Shrestha. The NTY 2011 aims, among others, at establishing Nepal as a choice of premier holiday destination with a definite brand image, and enhancing the capacity of the service providers.

The conference will have multiple sessions with deliberations on adventure travel, responsible tourism, adventure sports tourism, zero waste challenge and other issues of sustainable tourism.

PATA has received important backing from two influential organisations -- Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) -- for its 2010 Adventure Travel Mart.

 

Shrestha said that the Conference will create important platforms for tourism stakeholders to discuss and promote environmental protection and social sustainability.

 

According to PATA, the confirmed speakers at the Mart include Shannon Stowell, President of the US-based Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), Jose Dominic, CEO of CGH, India, Naranjan Khatri, GM for Environment at ITC Welcome Group in India, Tony Jones, Founding Director of Nepal’s Himalyan Encounter and Australia-based Intrepid Travel CEO Darrell Wade and others.

 

As an official carrier of the program, Nepal Airlines Corporations is offering preferential fares for delegates from several Asian cities to Kathmandu including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai, according to PATA.