The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has announced the celebration of 'Nepal-ASEAN Tourism Year 2026' on the occasion of its 27th establishment day.
Delivering a welcoming speech at the inaugural ceremony, Board’s Chief Executive Officer Deepak Raj Joshi said ASEAN countries are a high-potential market for Nepal, unveiling a special strategy targeting 2026.
According to Joshi, more than 170,000 tourists from ASEAN countries have visited Nepal so far, describing the region as a large and long-term market.
“Nepal will be established strongly in the ASEAN market through Buddhist and spiritual tourism, nature and adventure tourism, wellness and Ayurveda, culture and community-based tourism,” he said.
Mukunda Niraula, Secretary at Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation chaired the program.
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Anil Kumar Sinha was the chief guest and Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens Shraddha Shrestha was the special guest of the event.
Joshi said tourist arrivals are projected to reach 1.16 million in 2025, up about 3 percent from last year.
According to him, 31 tourism marts, 12 branding and corporate activities, and more than 20 MICE programs have been completed by 2025.
He also said that tourism promotion was carried out through live broadcasts from eight main tourist destinations, travel information was published in nine languages, 69 tourism infrastructures were developed, and 41 programs and development activities were conducted from the east to the far west after the GenZ protests.
The NTB also revealed seven major travel destinations expected to shape Nepal’s tourism in 2026.
