Nepal showcased and Visit Nepal 2020 highlighted at FITUR 2019 Madrid, SpainMonday, January 28th, 2019

With the objective of promoting Nepal as an exotic Himalayan holiday destination with the definite brand image of Visit Nepal 2020 in Europe, Nepal was showcased at FITUR 2019 at Feria de Madrid, Spain, from Jan. 23-27. Nepal’s participation at the fair was led by Nepal Tourism Board and coordinated by Nepal Association of Travel and Tour Agents (NATTA). Sixteen Nepali companies from the private sector tourism industry participated in the 5-day fair that included 3 days of B2B sessions and 2 days of B2C.

With the upcoming Visit Nepal 2020, the participation was important for Nepal to reach out to the European tour operators and potential tourists with fresh message and updated information. The campaign aims to increase tourist arrival to Nepal to 2 million, with offer of “lifetime experiences” through innovation and customization to include activities, events and destinations tailor-made for the audience of Europe market.

Nepal Stall at FITUR 2019 highlighting the golden roof of Swayambhunath, flanked by pictures of Mt. Everest, the Buddha, and natural and cultural heritages of Nepal, was praised by visitors and participants alike. Visitors flocked to the Nepal Pavilion to take photographs and to interact with the tourism officials of the DMO and DMCs. Visitors to the stall included airlines and destination management officials, tour operators from Europe and other participating countries, destination marketing companies, media houses and publications, bloggers and potential visitors to Nepal.

First Secretary and Acting Ambassador of Nepal to Spain Mr. Harihar Kant Poudel, also visited Nepal Pavilion and interacted with participants at the fair. Private sector companies from Nepal who participated at FITUR 2019 were: Vista Travels & Tours, Royal Mountain Travel Nepal, Sampurna Adventure, Asian Adventure Treks & Expedition, Fishtail Tours & Travels, Mountain Adventure Trekking, Himalayan Yogi Adventure, Makalu Adventure Travels & Tours, Sapphire Tours & Travels, Walk Mountain, Annapurna Treks & Expeditions, Hotel Manaslu, AK Holidays Tours & Travels, Hotel Heritage, Alpine Kailash Trek, and Shangri-la Hotel.

Spain is a highly potential market for Nepal. According to the recent official data from the Department of Immigration a total 1,173,072 tourists visited Nepal in 2018. The European arrivals surged in 2018 with healthy growth from key markets reaching 243,284 with regional aggregated growth of 23.3 percent. Among this the total share from Spain was 20,210.

Nepal has stepped up its international promotion in Europe in the last couple years. With Europe being an important value market for Nepal’s tourism, every effort is being made to reach out to this market to increase arrivals for 2020.

Nepal is well connected to Spain by air through airlines like Turkish, Qatar, Etihad, Jet Airways, and Indian Airlines. Nepal is an ideal destination for the Spanish travelers with its world class products of culture, nature and adventure. Most inquiries from potential visitors during the B2C sessions were related to culture and trekking in the mountains.

FITUR is a global meeting point for tourism professionals and the leading trade fair for inbound and outbound Ibero American markets. More than 165 countries participated in FITUR 2019. In 2018 FITUR had beaten the participation record with 10,190 exhibiting companies from 165 countries/regions, 140,120 trade participants and 110,860 people from the general public.

According to NATTA Coordinator Ms. Sangita Jirel private sector participants were highly satisfied with Nepal’s participation at the fair.

“I talked to all the participants. Participants were happy with the B2B as well as B2C visitors’ outcome. Almost 1500 brochures were distributed by some companies,” Ms. Jirel said. She said most visitors and tour operators had inquiries about the special offers Nepal had for tourists during Visit Nepal 2020, and therefore, she said it was essential to quickly create such packages to offer to tourists to attract arrivals for 2020.

With the success of FITUR 2019 and increasing interest of Nepal’s private sector to tap the Spanish market that looks promising, it is essential to invest more in FITUR 2020 with bigger and better stall incorporating events and entertainment according to participants.

International participation increased 11 percent and domestic participation increased by 6 percent at FITUR 2019.