Lumbini hosting Buddhist Int'l Travel Mart from January 10

KATHMANDU, Dec 26: Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) is organizing 1st Buddhist International Travel Mart (BITM) in Lumbini in the second week of January.

Organizing a press meet in Kathmandu on Tuesday, NATTA said that the mart will be held in Lumbini – the birthplace of Buddha from January 10 to 12. 

The event is being organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and different travel trade associations, according to Achyut Sharma Guaragain – the 1st vice president of NATTA and the coordinator of BITM.

According to the organizers, there will by 50 buyers companies from Nepal as well as from other countries where Buddhist population is high. "Similarly, Nepali tour operators and other service providers will showcase their tourism products and services before international and domestic buyers," he added.

Buddhist conference, interaction programs and B2B session are the main features of BITM, according to Guaragain.

“The event is being organized with the slogan 'Explore the Buddhaland'. The main objective of the event is to promote Lumbini far and wide and exploit the immense Buddhist tourism potential that Nepal has," he added.

Along with international buyers, the event will also see participation of travel bloggers, influences and media representatives from several countries. 

Also speaking at the press meet, tourism secretary Krishna Prasad Devkota, who is also the chairman of the main organizing committee of BITM, said that the event will help to promote Lumbini as a principal Buddhist tourism destination in the international market. "Lumbini is a holy land for millions of Buddhist pilgrims all over the world. The event is aimed at extending the stay of Buddhist tourists in Nepal," he added. He also said that BITM will also be important for the Gautam Buddha International Airport which is expected to start operation next year. 

Likewise, Deepak Raj Joshi CEO of NTB, said that BITM will promote Lumbini and help diversify Nepali tourism products. “Once the Gautam Buddha International Airport comes into operation, we can attract more Buddhist pilgrims from several countries to Lumbini. This mart will play a key role in this direction," he added.

Estimated budget of the market is around Rs 25 million. While NTB is providing Rs 10 million to the mart, NATTA will arrange remaining funds, according to C N Pandey, president of NATTA.