Ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal Danielle Meuwly and Shree Krishna Nepal, Joint Secretary of Nepal's Ministry of Finance, have just signed and exchanged a bi-lateral agreement to launch the Trail-based Tourism Development Project (TTDP.

This project is all about boosting local economic development and sustainable tourism by upgrading the stunning trails in Koshi Province. Over the next four years, Switzerland is contributing CHF 9.01 million (NPR 1.26 billion) while Nepal will provide CHF 1.3 million (NPR 186 million) for trail improvements and promotions.

In collaboration with 29 local governments and the Koshi Provincial government, the project will create around 2,000 local jobs and generate half a million person-days of employment through cash-for-work during trail construction.

Once the trails are complete, they’re expected to welcome around 80,000 visitors annually, boosting local communities and preserving the region's rich cultural heritage. “This is Another milestone in the Swiss-Nepal partnership for sustainable socio-economic development,” writes Swiss Embassy in its social media wall.