The PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Annual Summit and Mart 23 will be taking place in Pokhara, a major tourist destination of Nepal, from 29 May to 1 June.

Co-organised by the Government of Nepal, the Nepal Tourism Board, and the PATA, this is the first time that the Summit is taking place in Pokhara since Nepal got its international membership in 1975, said the NTB chief executive officer, Dr Dhananjaya Regmi at a press conference today in Pokhara. The local level will coordinate the Summit.

For the event, a main organising committee has been formed under the chairpersonship of the NTB chairperson, and organisations relating to tourism are members. This conclave is expected to be a milestone in tourism of entire Nepal, and Pokhara and Gandaki Province in particular, at a time when the sector marred by the global COVID-19 pandemic is reviving, said Regmi. This has also provided an opportunity for Nepali and international tourism entrepreneurs to meet and share at the same platform, he added.

“This is the third time that Nepal is hosting the Adventure Mart, and the first time that the Summit is taking place in Nepal. We have expected this to further boost Nepal’s tourism and return the tourism situation to the same pre-COVID until end-2023 by increasing inflows of tourists,” he said.

Around 300 representatives from various 15 countries and the PATA executive board member are expected to participate in the event where a range of issues from sustainable tourism to crisis management, aviation safety, and adventure and mountainous tourism will be discussed, said Secretary of the PATA International, Suman Pandey.

The Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya pledged to provide required assistance for the event.