The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and the tourism office at Kakarvitta organised the third edition of Cross-Border Tourism Conclave Jhapa 2026 at Jhapa district in eastern Nepal to promote travel between India and Nepal through policy reforms.
Policymakers, tourism stakeholders and experts from Nepal and north Bengal discussed strategies to improve infrastructure, service quality and joint promotion.
A bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed and exchanged between the Tourism Forum of Jhapa and the Himalayan Hospitality & Tourism Development Network (HHTDN) of India to advance sustainable tourism.
“The agreement outlines cooperation in regional tourism promotion, expansion of cross-border tourism, exchange programmes and joint efforts toward policy reform,” said Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of HHTDN.
Gopal Tamang, a member of the Koshi Province Assembly, said during the event that cross-border tourism plays an important role in promoting any province.
“Jhapa as a tourism hub would require service improvements, attractive travel packages and timely policy interventions. A shift toward more tourist-friendly attitudes and practices is essential to increasing visitor arrivals,” he said.
Sunil Sharma, the acting director of NTB, said the continuity of the conclave has contributed to decentralising tourism beyond Kathmandu.
Surya Thapaliya, a senior manager of NTB, said: “Indian tourists are Nepal’s largest source of business, with annual arrivals estimated to exceed three million. We are putting efforts to increase the footfall,” he said.
Sanyal, while speaking at the event, called for joint tourism development between Nepal and India.
“Over the past decade, these two countries have rarely promoted themselves together in international forums, with the conclave being a rare exception. We want the governments of both countries to remove policy barriers, ease cross-border movement and work collectively toward tourism-friendly policies,” he said.
A video presentation showcased Bihar, Sikkim and Bengal in India and locations in Nepal’s Koshi Province as upcoming destinations.
An interactive session titled “Cross-Border Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges” brought together experts, including Thapaliya, Sanyal, and entrepreneur, Kesari Gurung.
The participants also identified the Asian Highway network as a potential “game changer” for enhancing regional connectivity and expressed confidence that its effective utilisation could boost travel between the two countries.