Devotees from Nepal to Attend Prayagraj Maha Kumbh 2025; India-Nepal Tourism Meet Focuses on Arrangements

Kathmandu: The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu in collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board organized the first India-Nepal Tourism Meet focused on the promotion of Prayagraj Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The meeting was held with the aim of promoting circuit tourism and building B2B connections between the two countries.

Kirti, Tourism Officer, Government of Uttar Pradesh, delivered a lecture on Maha Kumbh 2025, highlighting the importance of the event especially for Nepali devotees. Devotees from Nepal are likely to attend the Maha Kumbh in large numbers. The meeting discussed the arrangements in this regard.

Arun Kumar Chaudhary, Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Government of Nepal, attended the event as the chief guest. A release issued by the Indian Embassy said that Deputy Chief of Mission Prasanna Srivastava of the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board inaugurated the session.

Charge d'Affaires Prasanna Srivastava of the Indian Embassy in his speech underlined the developments in physical and digital connectivity, which is increasing tourism flow between India and Nepal. He also emphasized on the continued joint efforts of both sides to take full advantage of the India-Nepal tourism potential, including promoting religious and cultural circuits in Nepal and India's neighboring states.

Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, Nepal Tourism Board, in his opening address appreciated that India is the largest source of foreign tourists visiting Nepal and highlighted the various initiatives taken by Nepal Tourism Board to promote India-Nepal tourism.

Cross-border tourism

Chief Guest Arun Kumar Choudhary, Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, in his speech mentioned that cross-border tourism, especially through land routes, is a major contributor to tourism in Nepal, even though it is not fully captured in the formal statistics.

The event concluded with a mesmerizing Kathak dance performance by an eight-member troupe from India supported by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR). The B2B event of the meet was attended by 13 delegates from India and 60 tour operators from Nepal.

(Prakash Kumar Pandey)