The country's three major tourist and religious destinations Pokhara, Bharatpur and Lumbini have signed an agreement to collaborate on the 'Silver Triangle' concept for tourism promotion and development. The three local levels have agreed to jointly collaborate on tourism branding, integrated tourism package development, annual travel mart organization and expansion of inter-provincial tourism connectivity.  

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Pokhara Metropolitan City, Bharatpur Metropolitan City and Lumbini Cultural Municipality at a program organized in conjunction with Pokhara Metropolitan City's 'Pokhara Visit Year' on Tuesday. The MoU was signed by Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya, Bharatpur Metropolitan City Acting Mayor Chitrasen Adhikari and Lumbini Cultural Municipality Acting Mayor Kalpana Harijan.

According to the agreement, all three local levels will include the 'Silver Triangle' concept in their annual policies, plans and budgets. The leadership and coordination of the collaboration will be carried out by the three local levels in turn every year.

The agreement mentions organizing the ‘Silver Triangle Tourism Fair (Travel Mart)’ in turn every year, conducting business-to-business (B2B) and government-to-government (G2G) meetings as needed, and jointly conducting tourism promotion and market expansion campaigns.

An integrated tourism package will be developed covering Pokhara, Bharatpur, and Lumbini. It has been agreed to produce and distribute joint brochures, videos, and digital materials to promote the three destinations. The agreement also includes a plan to establish digital information boards in each city to provide information about the major tourist destinations of the other two cities.

The memorandum of understanding also includes the subject of expanding cooperation and networking between tourism entrepreneurs, hotels, travel agencies and local communities, conducting cultural, educational and tourism exchange programs, and coordinating with local, provincial and federal governments, Nepal Tourism Board and development partner organizations for tourism promotion.

At the program, Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya said that the 'Silver Triangle' concept has been put forward with the aim of increasing the length of stay and spending of domestic and foreign tourists by connecting Pokhara, known as the capital of tourism, Bharatpur, which has religious and cultural importance, and Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha, into a single tourism circuit. 'This concept has been brought after long research after learning from the shortcomings of the past,' he said, 'It will be promoted in collaboration with all three local levels.' He also informed that an action plan will be prepared every year with the three local levels taking turns to chair the event.

The three local levels have taken this collaboration as an important step for long-term tourism development, cultural preservation and promotion of Nepal's tourism in the international market. The acting chief officer of Bharatpur Metropolitan City said that they will collaborate with businessmen for a joint logo, calendar and transport operation to connect the Silver Triangle.

Harijan, acting chief of Lumbini Cultural Municipality, said that the understanding that all three municipalities will give priority to connecting the three destinations in the upcoming policy program is historic. She said that if the Silver Triangle can be promoted, the stay of tourists can be extended by a week. Tara Gyawali, Chief Administrative Officer of Lumbini, said that connecting the three historical tourist sites will help significantly in supporting the country's economy.

Maniraj Lamichhane, Head of the Gandaki Province Office of Nepal Tourism Board, said that if the 'Silver Triangle' concept is implemented effectively, the stay of tourists can be extended and the tourism sector can benefit further. He said that to make the Silver Triangle successful, a task force should be formed with the participation of multi-stakeholder stakeholders, tourism packages should be developed by integrating attractive tourism destinations and activities, and effective promotion and branding should be emphasized through digital means.

'Coordination and synergy between the public and private sectors in infrastructure development and investment is necessary,' he said, 'The Silver Triangle can be established as a strong tourism network through tourism-friendly infrastructure construction, service expansion, and integrated development of destinations.'

Tourism expert Bishwaraj Subedi said that a 7- to 10-day package can be made connecting Pokhara-Chitwan-Lumbini. Gopi Bahadur Bhattarai, coordinator of the Pokhara Visit Year, said that the concept of the Silver Triangle was put forward with the aim of connecting destinations, expanding opportunities, activating international airports, making the National Wellness Year meaningful, and taking Nepal's tourism to new heights.

'Today's global tourism market is looking for a multi-dimensional experience rather than a single destination. Addressing this need, the 'Silver Triangle' concept of developing Pokhara, Lumbini and Bharatpur as a single tourism circuit has been brought forward,' he said. 'If these destinations can be combined in a single tourism journey, Nepal can provide tourists with a complete experience of nature, culture, spirituality, wildlife and lifestyle. This is the core philosophy of the Silver Triangle.' He also pointed out the need for Pokhara, Lumbini and Bharatpur to establish themselves as complementary partners rather than competitors.