The 4th edition ­­­of VITM (Vietnam International Travel Mart )-2016 Hanoi concluded successfully on April17 with the overwhelming response of the travel trade fraternity of Asian Region . Nepal’s participation in the fair was made for the first time by Nepal Tourism Board in partnerships with Nepal Airlines and 3 travel trade companies: Buddhist Circuits, The Explore Nepal and Earthbound Expeditions

VITM Hanoi featured 22 exhibiting nations/ territories and 100 local travel and trade companies with the attendance of 20000 trade and thousands of public visitors in the exhibition halls, showcasing a spectrum of tourism products and services from Asian destinations . The Vietnam’s largest tourism exhibition for the travel industry attracted a good attendance. Various thematic tourism conventions were attended by over 5000 trade and media visitors.

During the fair, the Nepalese delegation interacted with the travel trade professionals and media and disseminated tourism information about Nepal. NTB and NAC had a meeting with Vietnam Tourism Association to establishing the partnerships between two organisations for organizing tourism promotion programs in near future.

Several visitors to the Nepal Stand which showcased the adventure, culture and natural tourism attractions, showed keen interest to include Nepal in their holiday packages. Individual visitors sought information for personal and family visits and there was a tremendous amount of general queries on travelling to Nepal. The Mt. Everest, the Himalayas and Lord Buddha were prime attractions at the Nepal Stand. The general queries of visitors focused around the best places to visit for first time visitors, security concerns, travel information, trekking information, hotel information, visa rules of Nepal, and air connectivity etc.

Nepal stand with a space of 36 sq. meters successfully depicted the unique tourism products of Nepali culture, nature and adventures. A replica of wooden architecture was placed in the middle of Nepal Stand which was of prime interest to visitors.

The fair was attended by Mr. Jitendra Bhattarai, Senior Officer from Nepal Tourism Board, Mr. Suman Vaidya, Officer, Nepal Airlines Corporation, Mr. Bharat Kumar Basnet, Managing Director, The Explore Nepal, Mr. Bikram Pandey , Managing Director, Buddhist Circuits, Mr. BasantaBidari, Scholar, Buddhist Circuits and Mr. Rajan Simkhada, President, Earthbound Expeditions.