Kathmandu: The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has approved a budget of Rs 1.59 billion for the current fiscal year 2025/26. A recently held meeting of the executive committee of the Board passed this budget, as stated by Rishi Ram Bhandari, Coordinator of the Budget Formulation Sub-Committee.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the budget and programme aim to enhance Nepal’s image within the international tourism community by developing safe, reliable, and attractive tourism destinations. The Board has set a goal of boosting the overall tourism sector’s dynamism by increasing tourist arrivals by at least 15 per cent this fiscal year.
Chief Executive Officer of the Board, Deepak Raj Joshi, highlighted that the budget is focused on areas and programmes that significantly contribute to tourism promotion. Joshi opined that the budget would aid in creating employment opportunities and ensure sustainable development of the tourism sector by increasing national production and foreign exchange earnings through the development, expansion, and promotion of the tourism business.
The Board plans to organize promotional programmes in at least 50 source markets, produce an additional 5,000 human resources for the tourism business, and protect 25 new tourism infrastructures for tourism expansion within the current fiscal year. Of the total budget, 70 per cent is earmarked for international marketing, which includes expanding the Board’s services and establishing an office in India, Nepal’s major tourism source market. More than 400,000 tourists visited Nepal from India in 2024.