Kathmandu, February 7: The third meeting of the BIMSTEC Network of Tour Operators has been organized in Kathmandu on Thursday and Friday. A gathering of tourism-related agencies and private sector stakeholders from BIMSTEC member countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal has been organized in Kathmandu.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, the aim of the meeting is to further strengthen regional tourism promotion and cooperation.

Meetings are facilitated and coordinated by the Board. Inaugurating the meeting, the Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Binod Prakash Singh, expressed commitment to promoting sustainable tourism and preserving Nepal's natural and cultural heritage, claiming that BIMSTEC would provide an opportunity to take regional tourism cooperation to new heights.

He said that the promotion of cross-border tourism and optimum utilization of common heritage would be beneficial for BIMSTEC member countries. BIMSTEC Director Si Thu Aung defined tourism as a key economic sector of the region and said that the tourism potential of the region can be harnessed through cooperation. He expressed confidence that regional cooperation will build long-term partnerships, contribute to employment, and revenue growth and further strengthen people-to-people ties.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tourism Board Dipak Raj Joshi expressed enthusiasm over the meeting and said that Nepal has a leading role in the promotion of regional tourism. Describing the meeting as a major opportunity for cooperation and the development of strategic plans, he said Nepal would play an important role in promoting tourism along with BIMSTEC partner countries. During the meeting, detailed discussions will be held on BIMSTEC Buddhist and Cruise Circuit Operations, Destination Management, Joint Marketing, Cultural Exchange Program, Visa Facilitation and Annual Organizing of BIMSTEC Travel and Tourism Mart. The priority of the meeting is also to develop and explore special tourist circuits to facilitate cross-border travel.

People’s News Monitoring Service.