The event, which concluded on Friday, focused on positioning Nepal as a major destination for Indian travellers, especially those undertaking religious and spiritual journeys.
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In a move aimed at deepening tourism cooperation and strengthening faith-based travel links, the Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce & Industry (NICCI), together with the Nepal Tourism Board and Buddha Air, hosted a tourism promotion programme titled “Nepal Varanasi Roadshow” in Varanasi.
The event, which concluded on Friday, focused on positioning Nepal as a major destination for Indian travellers, especially those undertaking religious and spiritual journeys.
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Nepal and India share centuries-old civilizational bonds rooted in religion, culture, and history. Sacred routes such as the Shiva Circuit — connecting Pashupatinath, Muktinath, Kedarnath, and Varanasi — along with the Buddhist Circuit spanning Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Kushinagar, and Sarnath, and the Sikh pilgrimage trail linked to Guru Nanak Dev Ji, together form a powerful spiritual corridor between the two nations.
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Even with these strong shared traditions, Nepal has not yet fully leveraged India’s massive outbound tourism base. Although India remains the leading source of foreign visitors to Nepal, tourism stakeholders believe there is considerable room to grow visitor volumes, extend tourist stays, and encourage repeat travel.
Tourism figures show Nepal welcomed about 1.15 million foreign tourists in 2024, signalling steady recovery after the pandemic years. Data from the Nepal Tourism Board reveal that 1,147,567 international travellers arrived by air between January and December 2024 — an increase of 8.8 per cent over 2023.
However, Indian arrivals dipped slightly by 0.68 per cent, with 317,773 Indian tourists visiting Nepal in 2024 compared with 319,936 a year earlier. Overall arrivals also remained below the government’s target of 1.6 million tourists for the year.
Organisers of the Varanasi programme believe such outreach initiatives can significantly strengthen pilgrimage tourism. Hindu devotees travelling for the Char Dham Yatra are being encouraged to include the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu in their itinerary. Likewise, promoting Lumbini as the birthplace of Lord Buddha is expected to enhance Nepal’s position on the global Buddhist pilgrimage map.
NICCI Vice President Kunal Kayal said the relationship between Nepal and India is shaped not only by trade or geography but also by shared devotion. He described Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi and Pashupatinath in Kathmandu as spiritually connected landmarks symbolising a long-standing cultural continuum.
He also highlighted the Buddhist trail associated with the life of Buddha and the Sikh heritage route tied to Guru Nanak’s travels as further examples of deep religious linkages.
He explained that the broader aim is to modernise and integrate these traditional pilgrimage paths into a smooth and accessible cross-border “Religious and Spiritual Circuit,” enabling travellers to easily move between sacred destinations in both countries.
Former NICCI President Shreejana Rana made a detailed presentation on five major cross-border religious circuits and introduced a coffee table publication titled “Religious and Spiritual Circuits – Nepal and India,” which was officially launched during the event.
Nepal Tourism Board’s Officiating Director Sunil Sharma invited visitors to experience Nepal as a destination where “time seems to pause.” He characterised the country through the themes of mystery, history, and hospitality, suggesting that Nepal’s rich heritage and welcoming culture make it a distinctive travel experience.
The roadshow is viewed as a key step in boosting cross-border religious travel and renewing the enduring spiritual ties between Nepal and India.
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