A Youth Voice for Tourism: My Inspiring Visit to Singha Durbar

July 27, 2025: I want to share my story about my journey and experience at Singha Durbar, the heart of Nepal’s Government. The story begins with the IRD (Institute for Rural Development) organizing Youth Policy Roundtable Episode 4, focusing on Tourism.

I am part of a WhatsApp community group that shares opportunities to support tourism initiatives, and there I saw the event link. Without much expectation, I filled out the application form the next day. To my surprise, at 10:44 pm on July 25, 2025, I received an email: "Congratulations! You have been selected." On July 26, at 3 am, I read the email and replied immediately to confirm my participation. I later found out through the group chat that my friend Rakshit was also selected. From our community, we were the only two participants.

I felt excited yet nervous - what would I say? What topics would we discuss? This would also be my first-ever visit to Singha Durbar in my ten years of living in Kathmandu. I started preparing by reviewing the new tourism policy 2082 B.S.  on the MoCTCA website, listing out the issues I’ve experienced as a youth tourism entrepreneur, during the operation on treks & tours business. I also consulted with NTDEA’s president and my good friend Anup Adhikari (PhD Scholar). In the evening, I discussed with my mentor Sachin Shrestha and saw posts on LinkedIn about the event. At 8:56 pm, another email arrived with details of the program, location (Google Maps link), schedule, and the list of 20 selected participants.

 The Day of the Visit – July 27, 2025

I woke up at my usual time, completed my morning routine, and headed to NATHM to teach my 2-hour class. At 8:50 AM, I got a call from Sachin sir, and after class, I met him to discuss tourism education and entrepreneurship topics. By 11:30 AM, I wrapped up our discussion and walked home. I carried my citizenship ID (required for entry), and left for Singha Durbar. An email earlier that morning mentioned that the program would start an hour later than planned. At the South Gate, I collected my gate pass. Rakshit arrived soon after, and we were joined by a student from NATIAM, also attending the same event. Together, we walked into Room No. 125 – Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.

The Roundtable Discussion

We arrived at 1:45 PM, met new faces from across Nepal from Jhapa to Achham tourism entrepreneurs, guides, researchers, educators, and marketers. Shortly after, Mr. Bishnu Rimal (Chief Advisor to the PM) arrived, followed by Mr. Deepak Raj Joshi (CEO, NTB), Mr. Arun Lamsal (Personal Joint Secretary to PM), Mr. Asgar Ali (IT Consultant to PM), and the IRD team.

The Youth Policy Roundtable Dialogue focused on:

  • The impact of climate change and environmental degradation on tourism.
  • Need for sustainable and inclusive tourism policies.
  • Barriers like limited training, unstable income, lack of youth representation in decision-making, and funding challenges.
  • Importance of digital skills, responsible tourism, and protecting natural and cultural heritage.
  • Building youth entrepreneurship and ensuring financial support for tourism startups.
  • Digital tourism, QR payments, taxation for small tourism businesses.
  • Lack of clear definitions for core tourism products of Nepal in legal frameworks.

My Contribution

In the first round, 6 participants shared issues in tourism, and Bishnu Rimal addressed them directly. In the second round, I raised questions on:

    • PPP models and GDP contribution of tourism.
    • Research and funding for tourism students -why doesn’t the government fund field research or thesis work that could provide valuable data for policy-making?
    • The importance of domestic tourism development, rural tourism promotion, and record-keeping for mountain only others sectors and community-based tourism.
    • Other participants spoke about climate change, ecotourism, sustainable tourism, sports tourism, trail running, aviation challenges, cultural and environmental conservation etc. Both Mr. Rimal and Mr. Joshi noted our points and assured us that these youth voices would be presented to the Prime Minister.

We took group photos and videos and exchanged contacts with inspiring tourism youth leaders from across Nepal. After the program, I shared a cup of tea with a new friend from Sindhupalchok and while she left for Bhaktapur then I headed towards Hanuman Dhoka. This was not just a visit to Singha Durbar but an unforgettable experience where I got the chance to raise my voice for the future of Nepal’s tourism industry. I am deeply thankful to the IRD team, mentors, and all my fellow participants for this opportunity.

#upadeshkunwor 
#tourism #ambassaorhimalaya 



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