Nepalese tourism stakeholders have decided to celebrate World Tourism Day 2021 in physical presence amid the risk of COVID-19. At a meeting held at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the ministry directed all its bodies as well as the stakeholder organizations to make necessary arrangements to mark the occasion physically this time. However, the ministry also urged stakeholders to follow the health safety protocols.

As the cases of COVID-19 are declining, there is a much better situation now in Nepal than the last year. However, there still needs to take a cautious approach till vaccination all eligible citizens. The decision of the government to start issuing arrival visas to vaccinated people and removal for quarantine for them will also likely to continue to reive tourism.

Chaired by tourism secretary Yadav Prasad Koirala, the virtual meeting The Ministry officials and the chiefs of bodies under it held a virtual meeting recently in that connection. Tourism Secretary Yadav Prasad Koirala chaired the meeting which held discussions on celebrating World Tourism Day in a grand manner.

The WTD is being commemorated this year around the slogan of 'Tourism for Inclusive Growth.' World Tourism Day, celebrated each year on 27 September, is the global observance day fostering awareness of tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value and the contribution that the sector can make towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.

Senior Director of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), Hikmat Singh Aiyer said a formal programme would be organized at the NTB's auditorium. According to NTB data, more than 66 thousand tourists arrived in Nepal in the last eight months of 2021.

The tourist arrivals in 2020 was only 230 thousand 85 for the whole year. It was one million 197 thousand 191 in 2019.