Policy Dialogue focuses on advancing women’s entrepreneurship in tourism sector

KATHMANDU: A high-level policy dialogue on gender-responsive, sustainable and resilient tourism enterprises in Nepal aimed at promoting inclusive and durable tourism was held today.

The event was organised by the Academy of Innovation for Economic Development Nepal (ACAIED Nepal), with support from the Nepal Tourism Board and the UNDP-supported Sustainable Tourism Project. It brought together policymakers, development partners, private sector representatives, women tourism entrepreneurs and experts for in-depth discussions.

The dialogue primarily focused on ensuring women’s entrepreneurship and inclusive economic growth in the tourism sector. According to Chandra Prasad Dhakal, President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), the objective was to strengthen policy and programme responses that support women-led tourism enterprises.

Speakers and participants extensively discussed tourism sector development, employment generation, foreign currency earnings and the vital role of women in local livelihoods. Particular emphasis was placed on women’s involvement in homestays and accommodation services, handicrafts, food services, community-based tourism and small- and medium-scale tourism enterprises.

Recognising that women-led tourism businesses are disproportionately affected by natural disasters, the Covid19 pandemic, climate change risks and economic downturns, the dialogue also addressed challenges related to access to finance, markets, skills, technology and institutional support.

FNCCI President Dhakal said the event was significant for analysing existing issues and identifying potential measures to address them. He echoed the need to promote tourism potential through the mobilisation of domestic capital, adding that large-scale tourism projects could be implemented using domestic investment. He further highlighted that the tourism sector has witnessed an international resurgence, particularly in the post-Covid19 period.

Durga Thapa, CEO of ACAIED Nepal, said the policy dialogue is pivotal to bridge the gap between policy commitment and practical implementation. She argued that placing gender responsiveness, sustainability and resilience at the heart of the revitalisation and transformation of the tourism sector was the need of the hour.

Echoing Thapa, Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, underscored the need to bring gender responsiveness in tourism revitalisation and growth into the mainstream. He acknowledged that women-led tourism enterprises at community level were the backbone of Nepal’s tourism system. “Inclusive, competitive and sustainable tourism is not possible without their resilience enhancement and effective policy support,” he noted.

Participants discussed ways to enhance the resilience of women-led tourism enterprises and to promote gender-responsive tourism entrepreneurship. They exchanged ideas on policy measures, good practices and enterprise-level strategies to address economic, climate and market risks.

The discussion, held in two sessions, attempted to identify priority courses of action for government agencies, development partners and the private sector to achieve inclusive and resilient tourism. Organisers are confident that the policy suggestions collected from the dialogue will help strengthen collaboration among stakeholders and support the economic empowerment of women-led enterprises and inclusive tourism growth in future.

By RSS