The Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI) jointly with the Indian Embassy in Nepal organised an event to promote the bilateral tourism between India and Nepal. Sudan Kiranti, Nepal’s Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation graced the event as its Chief Guest and emphasised that the relationship between India and Nepal is unique as visitors do not require a visa or passport to travel between the two countries.
Keeping in mind the focus of this event, Naveen Srivastava, Indian Ambassador to Nepal, spoke of the various joint collaborations between India and Nepal that have helped boost tourism between the two countries. The Indian Embassy in Nepal tweeted, “Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Naveen Srivastava emphasised the role of #connectivity initiatives such as Jaynagar-Kurtha #rail link and #RuPay Card acceptance play in promoting #tourism.”
To bring out the shared religious and spiritual connections between New Delhi and Kathmandu, a coffee table book titled, “Religious and Spiritual Circuit: Nepal and India” was also launched. The book throws light on the various religious and spiritual sites present in both the countries and shows the cultural and religious diversity present in the region. The book release was attended by officials from both the governments of India and Nepal as well as representatives of the tourism industry.
To further boost India-Nepal bilateral tourism, the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam is set to have a meeting with the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents to find greater avenues of collaboration and cooperation between the tourism industries of India and Nepal.
Such steps being taken by the Government of India puts people-to-people ties at the centre of Indian foreign policy with a special focus on its ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’.
