Celebrating 40th World Tourism Day

Ministry of Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation (MOCTCA) and Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) organised a celebratory event at Gantantra Park on the occasion of 40th World Tourism Day

World Tourism Day is commemorated each year on 27 September, with celebrations led by United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Marking the 40th year of World Tourism Day various activities are carried our around the globe to foster awareness among the global community of tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value and the contribution the sector can make in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.

MOCTCA and NTB invited all tourism associations, tourism stakeholders, NGOs and media to celebrate 40th World Tourism Day. The event started with a morning procession from Sanchaya Kosh, Thamel to Gantantra Park, Narayanhity. A formal event was held for the first time in the park since its inauguration.

The event started with the opening speech from CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, Deepak Raj Joshi mentioning the progress tourism sector has made. He also said that the positive impacts of this sector in generating employment in Nepal is tremendous with approximately 10% of the populace of Nepal working in this sector.

Inauguration of this celebratory event was done with release of balloons in national flag colour by Chief Guest State Minister of MOCTCA Hon’ble Dhan Bahadur Buddha, National Coordinator of VNY 2020 Suraj Vaidya, Chairman of 40th World Tourism Day 2019 Organising Committee Kedar Bahadur Adhikari and CEO of NTB Deepak Raj Joshi.

The inauguration was followed by Tourism Industry Award Ceremony. Certificate of appreciation were provided to tourism industry leaders for laudable achievement in this sector. Prize winner of video contest on Nepal's National Flag was also awarded.

Then National Coordinator of VNY 2020 Suraj Vaidya was called on the stage to say a few words. He said that the preparation work for VNY 2020 is almost complete and the country is on the right track for making it a success. He said, “World Tourism Day is a day of unity. We have received 215 project proposals for VNY 2020 from all over Nepal. These project proposals show that the whole country is working towards a successful visit year and every Nepali has taken this brand as their own.”

A training book published by Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management was presented on the stage. A short entertaining Jhaki performance was followed by closing remarks from Kedar Bahadur Adhikari and Chief Guest Hon’ble Dhan Bahadur Budha. The formal event came to an end with vote of thanks from Senior Director of NTB, Hikmat Singh Ayer. The event was followed by Hi-tea.