Global Tourism Forum to help Nepal attract investment

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.