KATHMANDU, March 20: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey, returned to Nepal on Wednesday night after completing an official visit to Germany, France, Thailand, and Cambodia.
During the visit, the delegation led by him held discussions with high-ranking officials of the respective countries on topics such as promoting tourism, cultural exchange, expanding air services, bringing back historical handwritten manuscripts from Germany, and establishing a religious tourism network, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
Minister Pandey was awarded the ‘Tourism Minister of the Year’ award from the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) at the World Tourism and Aviation Summit held in Berlin. During the visit, he held bilateral and multilateral meetings with various partners with the aim of establishing Nepal as a major tourist destination.
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Minister Pandey met with tourism entrepreneurs, investors, and the Nepali community in Germany and France, informing them about tourism infrastructure and investment opportunities in Nepal. Similarly, in Thailand and Cambodia, he initiated discussions on promoting religious and cultural tourism and worked towards expanding bilateral cooperation with these countries.
According to his secretariat, during his visit to Germany, Tourism Minister Pandey said that the Nepalese government is in the process of formulating a clear policy regarding the restoration of cultural heritage, at an event organized by the Center for Asia and Dance Culture Studies in Heidelberg.
At the ‘Nepal Evening’ event jointly organized by the Nepali Embassy in Paris and the Nepal Tourism Board, Minister Pandey extended an invitation to the French citizens to visit Nepal.
During his meeting with Cambodia's Minister for Tourism, Hout Hak and Minister for Culture and Religious Affairs, Chay Borin, he discussed the possibility of creating a religious tourism network between Nepal and Cambodia and establishing direct air connections.
