The workshop pointed out the need for a common strategy and clear message, saying that Nepal's image has been weakened due to lack of coordination in tourism and diplomacy.
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It has been concluded that Nepal's tourism image has not been established as expected due to a lack of coordination between public, economic, and cultural diplomacy, inconsistent promotional strategies, and a lack of a clear national narrative.
In the context of Nepal's international branding not being effective, a workshop on 'Partnership for Nepal Promotion' was jointly organized by the Nepal Tourism Board and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.
The workshop highlighted the failure to develop tourism and public diplomacy as an effective soft power for Nepal, weak cooperation between missions abroad and related bodies, and the inability to convey a consistent message about Nepal in the global market.
Addressing the program, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai said that although tourism is the most tangible medium for Nepal's international image, Nepal's brand has become weak due to the lack of confident, coherent and authentic 'story-telling'. He clarified that although tourism and public diplomacy can contribute to national dignity and international prestige, it has not been fully utilized so far.
Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board, admitted that institutional coordination between public diplomacy and tourism promotion is weak and said that building a long-term tourism brand will be difficult unless government agencies, diplomatic missions, the private sector and research institutions work with a common goal.
In the interaction, diplomats including Kumar Raj Kharel, Joint Secretary and Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lok Bahadur Poudel Chhetri, Chief of Public Diplomacy Division, and others expressed their commitment to reform, pointing out that promotional efforts are ineffective when missions abroad do not coordinate with the tourism board.
Similarly, senior directors of the Nepal Tourism Board, Hikmat Singh Air, Maniraj Lamichhane, Chief of Planning, Research and Monitoring Division Laxman Gautam, and Chief of Public Relations Division Sunil Sharma, admitted that the board's programs were not yielding the expected results when they were conducted without adequate consultation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the missions, and emphasized the need for joint planning, a common annual action plan, and the creation of quality promotional materials.
The workshop emphasized the need for joint initiatives to effectively present Nepal's nature, culture, and diversity through video content, fact-based promotion, and a target market-focused strategy.
The Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave a presentation on the reasons for Nepal's weakening international image, while Senior Officer Kavindra Bhatta from the Tourism Board presented a 'Tourism Fact-Sheet' on tourism arrivals, foreign exchange earnings and future strategies. In the discussion held after the presentation, it was concluded that the promotion has become fragmented due to the lack of priority to position Nepal as a 'Lifetime Experience Destination' in the global market.
The program was attended by the Directors General of the Department of Archaeology and the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, representatives of the Policy Research Institute and other senior government officials.
The workshop concluded that the lack of an integrated approach between tourism, culture and diplomacy is the main weakness of Nepal's international branding, and now Nepal's global image can be strengthened only through a common strategy, clear message and institutional coordination, the Nepal Tourism Board has stated.
