Varanasi: The Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI) organised the first-ever Nepal Tourism Roadshow in Varanasi on Friday. This initiative is considered an important step towards strengthening tourism cooperation and people-to-people relations between Nepal and India.The objective of this roadshow was to establish Nepal as a preferred tourism destination, particularly among Indian tourists from eastern Uttar Pradesh and surrounding areas. Through direct dialogue with local tourism professionals and hoteliers, Nepal’s diverse tourist destinations—pilgrimage and spiritual tourism, adventure tourism, wellness tourism, cultural heritage, and hospitality programmes—were presented.A delegation of more than 12 members from Nepal arrived in Varanasi to participate in the roadshow. The delegation was led by Sirjana Rana of NICCI. It included NICCI vice-president Kunal Kayal, executive member Shashikant Agrawal, along with prominent tourism professionals and hoteliers from Nepal.Varanasi was chosen for NICCI’s first tourism-focused roadshow in India, as it is a major spiritual and cultural centre with deep historical and religious ties to Nepal. According to NICCI officials, Varanasi’s strong spiritual identity makes it a suitable platform for promoting cross-border tourism cooperation.The roadshow featured a keynote address by Binod Chaudhary, chairman of Chaudhary Group and a renowned industrialist and former parliamentarian. He is the only Nepali dollar billionaire on the Forbes list. More than 80 travel and tourism organisations from India, along with representatives from the business community, participated in this programme.
