In a significant move to strengthen bilateral tourism ties, the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) and the Nepal Association of Tour & Travel Agents (NATTA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on May 23rd, 2025, in Kathmandu during the Buddhist International Travel Mart (BITM 2025).
The MoU was signed by Mr. Ravi Gosain, President, IATO, and Mr. Kumar Mani Thapaliya, President, NATTA, in the presence of Hon’ble Mr. Badri Prasad Pandey, Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Civil Aviation, and Mr. Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO, Nepal Tourism Board.
This agreement aims to enhance two-way tourism between India and Nepal by fostering strategic cooperation, increasing mutual visibility in global markets, and supporting sustainable tourism growth. Key areas of collaboration include:
- Facilitating cross-border tourism flows and joint promotional campaigns
- Encouraging B2B engagements, networking events, and participation in major trade shows
- Sharing tourism-related data, research, and market trends
- Coordinating policy updates on visas, immigration, and regulations
- Organising familiarisation tours for agents, influencers, and media
- Promoting heritage trails, pilgrimage circuits, and adventure tourism
- Enabling knowledge exchange on legal, marketing, and digital strategies
Mr. Ravi Gosain emphasised the strategic importance of Nepal for India’s inbound tourism, particularly for visitors from Buddhist countries who often include Nepal in their itineraries. He expressed confidence that the partnership will enable IATO and NATTA members to jointly promote the region as a unified and diverse tourism destination.
This MoU marks a major milestone in regional tourism cooperation, setting the stage for deeper collaboration between the travel industries of both countries.