Nepal Association of Tour & Travel Agents (NATTA) in coordination with Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), to promote Nepal as an exotic Himalayan holiday destination in Malaysia organized Nepal Sales Mission 2022 in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, from 16th - 19th December respectively. Nine travel-trade partners from the tourism sectors of Nepal. Nepal Sales Mission kicked –off in Kuala Lumpur on 16th Dec 2022. The program coordinated by Secretary General, Mr. Kumar Mani Thapaliya had the special presence of the Secretary of MoCTCA, Mr. Suresh Adhikari, Chairman of Nepal Airlines, Mr. Ubaraj Adhikari and CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, Dr. Dhananjay Regmi. On the occasion, Chief Guest His Excellency Mr. Dilli Raj Poudel, Ambassador of Nepal to Malaysia participated in the event of Kuala Lumpur and assured full cooperation from the Embassy for any kind of support to strengthen the relation between Nepal and Malaysia. Dr. Dhananjay Regmi, CEO of NTB, Read More
The Association of Buddhist Tour Operators with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, The government of India, successfully organized the 5th International Convention on Buddhist Circuit (ICBC) and International Buddhist Travel Mart (IBTM) 2022 concluded in Kolkata on 12th December in the august presence of the venerable monks, scholars, researchers, travel journalists, Buddhist tour operators and travel practitioners from 10 countries. There were participants from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Korea, Bhutan, the United States, Indonesia, and France. President of NATTA, Mr. Ramesh Thapa participated in the events as a Special Guest and presented a Special Presentation about the significance of Buddhist Tourism at large and how the concept of the Buddhist circuit binds the entire larger region of Asia and beyond. And also the mutual relationship between ABTO and NATTA. Likewise, various untapped opportunities were discussed and how country-to-country relations can be enhanced through Buddhist tourist exchange Read More
NATTA granted membership to its applicants as NATTA Members. President Ramesh Thapa handed over the Certificates with related documents. NATTA Executive Board Members also expressed their best wishes to the newly joined members. 1. Destinago Tours & Travels Pvt.Ltd 2. Apoorva Tours & Travels Pvt.Ltd 3. Fly Nepa Travels & Tours Pvt.Ltd 4. Green Line Holidays Pvt.Ltd 5. Guru Travels Pvt.Ltd 6. Mechi Kali Travels & Tours Pvt.Ltd 7. Mega Int'L Tours & Travels Pvt.Ltd 8. Neved Holidays 9. One Go Travel & Tours Pvt.Ltd 10. Royal Travels & Tours Pvt.Ltd 11. Sambat Travels Pvt.Ltd 12. Sitasma Travel & Tours Pvt.Ltd 13. Trips Select Pvt.Ltd 14. Varaman Holidays Pvt.Ltd 15. Yatra Holidays Pvt.Ltd The new members were honoured in the respective Board meetings held at NATTA Secretariat.
The training for the Tour Development Training and Airline Ticketing program involving a total of 30 participants was held in collaboration with ILO and FNCCI in November 2022. With 80 percent of practical and 20 percent theoretical, training started for Tour Product Development Training which also included practical excursions involving Hiking and Excursions in different touristic areas and workplace-based training. Likewise, Airlines Ticketing took place for one Week of Theoretical Classes delivered with the elaboration of the global distribution system (GDS) and the remaining days were work placed based Training. After the completion of training, the Evaluation was executed according to their performance feedback from the trainers and on-the-job training supervisors as well as the attendance of the trainees. The name of the companies supporting placing the participant in training as a trainee for real workplace learning in Kathmandu, Nepal. S.N. Company Name 1. Moon Sun Travels & Tours Read More
On 25 th November, a presentation on Manual for the Tour Development, GDS, and Customer Service including technical and soft skills was presented by Mr. Vinay Shakya under the Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Project (STLRP). Likewise, in partnership with FNCCI and ILO one more Manual Presentation, as well as an Interaction program at Hotel Moonlight, Thamel on 16th November was held with the officials of FNCCI, ILO, NATTA, and those companies supporting the placement of the trainee for real work experience. There had been an exchange of views concerning the current trend of tourism and suggestions were received for the improvements to be made to the manual. There has been an ever-changing context in the industry of tourism industry following the trends and there is a part to keep ourselves abreast of all the latest developments and help the tourism industry grow efficiently. Keeping this in mind, A Training Manual Read More
A joint meeting was held in NATTA Secretariat on November 23 2022, with NATTA Executive Board and the TURGAN Board. The meeting chaired by NATTA President Mr. Ramesh Thapa had a comprehensive discussion on the concerns about the charges of the Tour Guide. Tourist Guide Association of Nepal (TURGAN) had strongly proposed a hike of a certain percent in Tourist Guide Service charges. At the meeting, NATTA suggested TURGAN to work on the revisions of guide rates and discuss through at the next meeting together with NATTA.
Secretary Ms. Yubika Bhandari participated in the national workshop having a discourse over the final dissemination of learnings and experiences of Parya Sampada organized by UN-Habitat on 15 November 2022. After a years-long project, the Parya Sampada project especially in Bungamati and Pilachhen successfully concluded on 15 November. The project started aiming to welcome tourists and contribute to the social and economic aspects of locals, many local governments of Kathmandu valley are contributing to developing infrastructure mobility, promoting, and preserving the cultural aspects. The national workshop had the evaluation of all the workings and the mechanism for future purposes. NATTA also organized a "Heritage Walk in Bungamati" event last September 2022 in collaboration with NATTA and UN-Habitat in Bungamati on the occasion of World Tourism Day 2022 to assist the Bungamati community and local government in promoting tourism.
On 1 st November, Dr. Philippe Bachimon Professor of Tourism, and Dr. Pierre Derioz, Senior Lecturer for Tourism & Geography called on the Secretariat of NATTA along with their colleague, Mr. Pranil Upadhyay, and held discussions with NATTA President Mr. Ramesh Thapa, IPP Mr. Achyut Guragain Secretary General Mr. Kumar Mani Thapaliya, Secretary Ms. Yubika Bhandari and Executive Member Mr. Parshuram Ghimire on various issues of domestic tourism of Nepal. As they were conducting their studies and keen on exploring working in tandem with NATTA, particularly from the perspective of developing tourism in the country.
As a part of Skill Development Training, the Tour Product Development training program was organized in association with the Sustainable Tourism Development Project (STLRP) Department of Nepal Tourism Board at Nepal Tourism Board, starting from 19th October-22nd October 2022 at Kathmandu, Bagmati Province. This first training was trained by Mr. Vinaya Shakya with more than thirty-five participants. This training is expected to provide a view to the trainee about the practical nature of the itinerary development and pricing strategy depending upon the interest of the customer and make competent to identify, judge, and make decisions as per the need of the clients and available activities. On the final day of the training, representatives from STLRP, NTB, and NATTA deliberated about the importance and requirement of such kinds of training in the industry. There have been different kinds of training scheduled on Tour Product Development, Customer Service, and Airlines Ticketing for Read More
A Debriefing meeting of the delegates who participated in the ATF Fair 2022 at Dhaka, Bangladesh starting from 29th September–1st October was held at Black Pepper Restaurant, Jhamsikhel, Kathmandu in the afternoon, of 21st October 2022. The participants expressed their appreciation to NATTA along with Coordinator Mr. Pramod Dahal and Sub Coordinator Executive Member Ms. Shradha Joshi for the successful coordination of Nepal's participation in the ATF Fair. At the meeting, Secretary Ms. Yubika Bhandari in regard to publication materials also suggested NTB to look after the digitalization and prepare in the local language of a destination of the promotion. Likewise hiring of non-travel agents as PR, and increasing the size of stalls in promotional events were also discussed during the debriefing. With more than 15 Nepalese tourism stakeholders NATTA organized the participation in the Fair. At the conclusion of the ATF Debriefing, Coordinator Mr. Pramod Dahal thanked NTB, the Embassy Read More
To commence the month-long Training on Tour Product Development and Airlines ticketing in association with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) for workplace-based training at NATTA Secretariat, Kathmandu there had been a call for interested applicants via a newspaper. Several participants had been selected for the Interview. Shortlisted candidates were interviewed on 18th October for Tour Product Development and on 19th October for Airlines Ticketing. As short-term workplace-based Skill Training participants will be recruited as Interns in a travel agency as their practical training after their theoretical course. After the completion of the training, the trainees will also be provided Certificates of Participation. Nepal Association of Tour & Travel Agents (NATTA) signed an MOU with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) for workplace-based training for 30 participants for Tour Product Read More
To be well prepared for the 2nd General Assembly of IMTA, the Council Meeting on the Term Change of International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA) was held via Zoom on 18 October to deliberate on the Program of the 2nd General Assembly of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance, the Leadership of the 2nd Term of Office, the Statutes and the Measures for the Management of the Group Standards of the International Mountain Tourism Alliance. Following the Statutes, each term of office of IMTA shall be four years. The first term should have been changed in August 2021 but failed to be changed as scheduled due to the global spread of COVID-19 and control measures. After the survey and evaluation, the proposal for postponing the term change was submitted to the Council for deliberation and approval and reported to the competent department. The 2nd General Assembly and Council Meeting of IMTA are Read More
NATTA in partnership with Nepal Tourism Board successfully exhibited Nepal at the 9th Asian Tourism Fair, Dhaka at International Convention City, Bashundhara, Dhaka, Bangladesh. NATTA coordinated with ten different stakeholder companies; hotels and travel companies from the tourism industry to participate in ATF. The three days long Fair September 29 to October 1, was inaugurated by the Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism at the International Convention Center Bashundhara (ICCB) in the capital, Mokammel Hossain. The ninth edition of the fair drew widespread attention from people as it was organised after a gap of two years. The fair was held with the overall cooperation of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Bangladesh Tourism Corporation and Bangladesh Tourism Board in the organization of Tourism Bichitra. This year Nepal remained a Prime partner country throughout the Fair. Eight countries participated in this year’s fair. Various tourism organizations from Read More
Nepal - Bangladesh Friendship Society in association with South Asia Business Partnership organized a program celebrating the 43rd World Tourism Day on September 29, 2022. Eastern Nepal has launched Wednesday to boost bilateral relations between the two countries. Mr. Khagaraj Adhikari, Former Home Minister of Nepal was present as the chief guest at the program of the Nepal-Bangladesh Friendship Society organized in Hotel Marshyangdi. Likewise, the President of several tourism associations were present as Special Guests. At the event, NATTA President Mr. Ramesh Thapa on the occasion highlighted the further expansion of bilateral relations, especially in the field of tourism and its promotional programs organised in Bangladesh and Nepal. The program emphasized the contribution to further promoting the relations and more interactions between Bangladesh and Nepal and working together for facing the common challenges for the benefit of the people.
Nepal Association of Tour & Travel Agents (NATTA) signed an MOU with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce & Industries (FNCCI) for workplace-based training in Kathmandu. The training will be provided for 30 participants for Tour Product Development Training or the Airlines Ticketing program. As short-term workplace-based Skill Training participants interested in becoming employed/self-employed after learning the ship were advised to register their name in the Secretariat of NATTA via a notice published in the newspaper. The training will be held after shortlisting the participants following the criteria. Similar training on different categories shall be coordinated with the Footwear Manufacturer's Association of Nepal (FMAN) and Restaurant & Bar Association Nepal (REBAN).
Marking the 43rd World Tourism Day, from the regular calendar of events of NATTA, NATTA organized a noble activity Eleventh NATTA Blood Donation Program in collaboration with Frontline Hospital at Goma Ganesh Temple premises on Sunday, 25th September 2022. The program is conducted every year by NATTA, this year humanitarian gesture was shown by the members of NATTA, and other generous people at the event coordinated by NATTA Executive Member and Chairperson of Sports & Entertainment Committee Mr. Dendi Sherpa. For More Pictures, Click Here
The seventh NATTA Futsal Tournament in association with Frontline Hospital was held at Dhanyantari Futsal having a total of 9 teams from the tourism fraternity; NATTA Members, and Airlines on 24th September 2022. Team Sincere Travels were the champion of the tournament. On the occasion, Winners and Runner Ups of the NATTA Futsal Tournament were awarded. Team Precious Travel bagged the 2nd Runner Award, Team Open Sky Travel bagged the 1st Runner Up Trophy with a Cash Prize of Rs. 20,000 and Team Sincere Travel hold the Trophy as a Winner of the NATTA Futsal Tournament along with a cash prize of Rs. 25,000. Best Player Award to Mr. Kabindra Shrestha, Open Sky Travel, Best Keeper Award to Mr. Nitesh Maharjan, Sincere Travel and Highest Scorer Award Mr. Manjil Maharjan, Sincere Travel were also given. For More Pictures, Click Here
A "Heritage Walk in Bungamati" event was held on September 20, 2022, by UN Habitat in collaboration with NATTA in Bungamati, Ward 22 of the Lalitpur Metropolitan City on the occasion of World Tourism Day 2022. The walk was organized in the presence of chairperson LMC-22, NATTA (Nepal Association of Tours and Travels Agents) representatives and other local stakeholders. The major objective of this initiative was to assist the Bungamati community and local government in promoting tourism. An orientation program was conducted to explain the importance of Bungmati to all the participants including NATTA members and tour guides. More than forty tourism professionals participated in the program. Mr. Ramesh Thapa, President of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA), speaking at the program assured that Bungamati in Lalitpur will be prioritized in terms of tourism promotion as Bungamati has many historical and archaeological structures to show tourists, this Read More
Uncertain times are causing uncertain lives, leaving people feeling more distressed. To discuss this topic and for the global launch of Human Development Report 2021/22, Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World followed by a conversational program was organized by UNDP Nepal on 12th September at Kathmandu Marriott chaired by Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Madam Pampha Bhusal. Ms. Yubika Bhandari, Secretary of NATTA also was invited as a Speaker at the event to discuss how to shape a hopeful future in uncertain times. While Nepal improved its ranking from 144th to 143rd position, the Human Development Index (HDI) value has marginally declined. The last two years have had a devastating impact on billions of people around the world when crises like COVID-19 and interacted with sweeping social and economic shifts, dangerous planetary changes, and massive increases in polarization. The analysis shows Nepal continues Read More
The new 'regulation related to approval of tourist visas for foreigner countries-2022', introduced by the Department of Immigration (DoI) for Nepali travellers, has irked travel agents and those who wish to visit foreign countries under tourist or visit visas. As the provision will come into effect after all necessary management procedures are complete, the new software will be developed to manage the visit visa procedures. The new regulation has added a burden on tour and travel agents in confirming if the person seeking to apply for a tourist visa is legal before issuing the air tickets and ensuring the return of the Nepali tourists and also submitting a report to the DoI. Legal action will be taken against tour and travel operators for failing to meet the two conditions mentioned. NATTA issued a press statement objecting to the rule, saying it is impractical, which aims to discourage genuine people from Read More
