Nepal looks to boost Pilgrimage Tourism through road shows in Madurai and Kochi

In an effort to attract pilgrimage tourists from South India, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) recently organised road shows in Madurai and Kochi. Dhruba Rai, Senior Manager - Corporate Services, NTB, said that the objective of the road shows was to facilitate mutual growth in the tourism sector. He pointed out that South Indians, especially those from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, preferred to visit religious places and NTB is keen to promote Mount Kailash-Manasarovar, in the region, he said.

He added that Nepal had a variety of tourist spots to attract tourists across age groups and has established itself as the gateway to Mount Kailash-Manasarovar. In the preceding year, 2011, celebrated as Nepal Tourism Year, the country attracted 5.44 lakh visitors and of them, 1.45 lakh tourists were from India, particularly, 50 per cent were from South India, according to a report by The Hindu Business Line.