Kathmandu� The First Asian Resilience Summit concluded on 31 May, 2019 with the objective of disseminating the message worldwide that Nepal is safe tourist destination after recovering from the earthquake.
The participants of the summit have observed that the event would be a milestone for the promotion of tourism by spreading the message that Nepal was eagerly waiting to welcome tourists as the safe and attractive visit destination in the world after overcoming the various challenges.
�The summit having the attendance of renowned foreign guests is special. This will be an important forum for identifying Nepal as a prime destination, its promotion and for sustainable tourism development. The way Nepal has recovered weathering a difficult situation has presented an example that the country can establish itself as a safe and attractive tourism destination,� said Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali who also inaugurated the summit.
Describing tourism as the basis that can play a significant role in the world economy, he said the government has brought forward programmes in a planned manner with special priority for the overall promotion of the tourism sector accordingly.
Participating foreign experts underscored the need of initiating a campaign for the promotion of tourism in Nepal by attracting larger number of tourists.
World Tourism Organization�s Asia Pacific regional director Chhu Jing stressed that Nepal should establish its presence to reap benefits from the tourism of its neighboring countries, China and India.
Jamaica�s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlitt said Nepal has demonstrated an example of how a country can introduce itself as a safe tourism destination through the management of disaster that hit the tourism sector. He said Nepal�s resilience has send out positive message to the world.
Nepal Tourism Board (NTB)�s executive director Deepak Raj Joshi said the summit would be useful in sending out the message of resurrection of Nepal�s tourism sector after suffering a blow from the 2015 Gorkha earthquake and for acquiring knowledge for sustainable tourism development.
Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)�s chief executive officer Mario Hardy believed that the summit would be contextual in giving out the positive message to the world that it has been able to rise by beating a challenging situation.
The Summit will have a strong focus on the benefits of marketing to the intrepid traveler, as well as wider affinity markets, perception, brand management and communication, entrepreneurial spirit, government programs and philosophies that can be developed or deployed for other destinations� resiliency planning.
The two-day summit was co-hosted by the Nepal Tourism Board, the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).