38th World Tourism Day was observed on 25th September 2017 amidst various programs in Kathmandu. In the morning, celebration began with a procession that started from Thamel and concluded at Nepal Tourism Board passing through Durbarmarg and Ghantaghar. Officials of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Nepal Tourism Board, tourism colleges and tourism associations, travel trade leaders, entrepreneurs and employees participated in the rally. NATTA had its active participation in the World Tourism Day Rally. Scheduled every year for 27th September, the program this year was brought two days earlier due to Dashain Festival. The slogan for this year’s celebration was ‘Sustainable Tourism: A Tool for Development’.
In the formal program organized at Nepal Tourism Board, Tourism Secretary Mr. Maheshwor Neupane awarded top foreign currency earners from different categories. Soaltee Crowne Plaza received the honor from the hotels category, while Flight Connection and Himalayan Encounter were awarded from travel agencies and trekking agencies categories respectively. Similarly, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) received the award from the airlines category, while Chandragiri Hills Pvt. Ltd. was awarded in recognition of its contribution for sustainable tourism development.
At the program, Village Tourism Promotion Forum Nepal announced three villages as “model village” for sustainable village tourism. Salang village of Dhading, Pitlek of Syangja and Kunchhal village of Makwanpur have been selected as model villages on the occasion of 38th World Tourism Day. These villages have been providing home stay services for domestic and international tourists.
In Celebration of 38th World Tourism Day, NATTA organized various programs such as Cycle Rally, Futsal and Blood Donation Programs.