NCCI concludes Varanasi roadshow to boost Indian tourist arrivals

KATHMANDU: Nepal‑India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), in association with the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Buddha Air, concluded the ‘Nepal Varanasi Roadshow’ in Varanasi on Friday. The event formed part of efforts to attract more Indian tourists to Nepal.

Organisers said the roadshow aims to promote religious and pilgrimage tourism by highlighting deep cultural, spiritual and historical ties between the two countries and by promoting linked circuits such as the Shiva Circuit (Pashupatinath, Muktinath, Kedarnath, Banaras), the Buddhist Circuit (Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Kushinagar, Sarnath) and the Sikh Circuit.

Recent NTB data show Nepal welcomed 1,147,567 foreign visitors by air in January–December 2024, an 8.8% increase on 2023, but arrivals from India fell slightly to 317,773 from 319,936 the previous year. The government had set a target of 1.6 million tourists for 2024, a goal that was not met, and industry representatives said promotional initiatives such as the Varanasi roadshow are crucial to boost pilgrimage traffic and encourage longer and repeat visits.

Kunal Kayal, vice-president of NCCI, underlined the spiritual links between the two countries, saying the connection is "anchored in shared reverence connecting to both Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi and Pashupatinath in Kathmandu". He described the two temples as "two ends of a single sacred thread that has united our people for centuries" and called for the creation of a modern, seamless ‘Religious and Spiritual Circuit’ to make it easier for pilgrims to include Nepal in their itineraries.

Immediate past president of NCCI, Shreejana Rana, presented the five religious circuits between Nepal and India and launched a coffee-table book, *Religious and Spiritual Circuits — Nepal and India*, at the roadshow.

Sunil Sharma, officiating director of the Nepal Tourism Board, urged international visitors, including Indians, to experience Nepal, saying they should visit to "see it, feel it where the time stops". He described Nepal with three words — ‘mystery, history and hospitality’ — and said those qualities make the country an attractive destination.

Keynote speaker Binod Kumar Chaudhary highlighted Nepal’s unique offerings, from religious sites and natural beauty to panoramic mountain views, lakes, wildlife and welcoming people, calling these strengths essential to the country’s economic development.

In closing remarks, NCCI executive committee member Shashi Kant Agrawal said the Varanasi roadshow is NCCI’s first event organised outside Nepal and signalled the chamber’s intention to hold further events to strengthen people-to-people links through pilgrimage tourism and joint economic initiatives.