June 6: The fourth edition of Himalayan Travel Mart kicked off in Kathmandu on Tuesday.    

The four-day travel mart, which is being organised with the objective of promoting tourism, would run till June 9. More than 400 representatives from 25 countries are participating in the mart, according to Nepal chapter of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).    

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the mart amidst a function.

Chief Executive Office of PATA Nepal chapter, Suresh Singh Budal, shared that a special session would be held with the objective of helping the post-corona tourism revival campaign as well as to actively bring Gautam Buddha and Pokhara International airports into operation.   

Experts from the related field have been invited for their opinions on the ways for operating the two newly launched international airports in an effective way. A plenary session on 'Unlocking the potentials of Nepal's new international airports: strategies for market linkage, marketing, branding and more to drive tourism growth' has been scheduled during the Mart.   

The event was held annually from 2017-19 and it was halted since 2019 due to COVID -19 pandemic. The objective of the mart is to develop Nepal as a gateway to the Himalaya and a hub of adventure tourism

The event is being organised by the Nepal chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Nepal Tourism Board, the Nepal Airlines Corporation.