Kathmandu, Apr. 28
President of the
Global Tourism Forum (World Tourism Forum Institute) Bulut Bagci said that the
Forum will help Nepal to get more Foreign Direct Investment in tourism and
related infrastructure.
“We want to organise
an investment summit in Kathmandu to bring the renowned companies and investors
here. We discussed the issue with the government representatives as well as
private sector entrepreneurs,” he said to The Rising Nepal.
If things go as
planned, the summit will bring in multilateral agencies, world-class hotels,
travel and tour companies, and other concerned agencies to Nepal.
Bagci led a delegation
that included Serkhan Cepheci, CEO of Luxury DMC and the lifetime experiences
promoter Richy Life, and Julia Kathrin Kleber, CEO of the Germany-based Kleber
Group, which specialises in destination branding, tourism marketing, and
investment promotion across Europe.
The delegation met
with Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle, Minister for Tourism Khadak Raj Poudel
and Minister for Urban Development Sunil Lamsal to discuss investment and
promotion of tourism.
Bagci said that Nepal
should actively reach out to potential investors and project developers,
strengthen institutional trust and aggressively brant Nepal as a safe and
stable destination for tourists and investors.
Meanwhile, it should
also promise high-return in investment, he maintained.
Kleber said that Nepal
could leverage the Global Tourism Forum platform to invite investors,
contractors, and developers — particularly those seeking alternatives amid
ongoing uncertainties in the Middle East — to explore opportunities in tourism
infrastructure, real estate, and related sectors.
Attracting 5
million tourists
Bagci also said that Nepal
has the potential to attract 5 million tourist in the next five to ten years.
“In tourism industry,
coming from zero to 1 million is very hard, but 1 million to 5 million is
rather easy feat to achieve,” he said.
However, Bagci said
that Nepal should resolve the issues like taking the country out of the Safety
Concern List of the European Union, operating the international airports and upgrading
road infrastructure to facilitate easy access to major tourist destinations. “It
is distressing that you need to spend about six hours to cover the Kathmandu to
Chitwan distance, which should be about two hours,” he said.
Europe could be one of
the source markets for high-end tourists to Nepal in the areas of trekking,
mountaineering and adventure tourism.
According to Bagci,
this is an appropriate time for Nepal to make new moves to usher the country into
a new era from the old structure. “With this government, there is a new Nepal.
New policies, new approaches, and new people with a lot of energy. It is very
easy to attract investors as well as tourists to Nepal because there is no
security issue here. Meanwhile,” he said.
Kleber said that Nepal
has an advantage of strategic geographic location, favourable climate, capable
workforce, and abundant clean energy resources. If more tourists and investors
were attracted, they would act as the brand ambassadors of Nepal’s promotion.
The delegation was in
Nepal at the invitation of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and aimed at exploring
substantial investment and development opportunities in Nepal’s tourism and
infrastructure sectors.
According to the NTB,
the delegation attended the Wild Nepal Safari Mart 2026 held in Meghauli in
Chitwan.
They also held
detailed discussions with officials from the Investment Board of Nepal (IBN)
about potential large-scale investments, such as riverfront development and
waterfront attractions, restate projects, amusement parks, and new tourism
landmarks.
Likewise, infrastructure
development and transfer of world-class technologies were also discussed at the
meeting.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 29 April 2026.
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