Nepal Varanasi Roadshow held at The Clark Hotel (Photo: NICCI)
Varanasi: With the aim of promoting Nepal as a key pilgrimage and tourism destination and attracting more Indian travellers, the Nepal–India Chamber of Commerce & Industry (NICCI), in association with the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Buddha Air, organized the “Nepal Varanasi Roadshow” at The Clark Varanasi Hotel in Varanasi, India.
Nepal–India relations are deeply rooted in cultural, spiritual, and historical ties, with religious tourism serving as a powerful bridge between the two nations. The sacred Shiva Circuit — connecting Pashupatinath, Muktinath, Kedarnath, and Varanasi — along with the Buddhist Circuit (Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Kushinagar, and Sarnath) and the Sikh Circuit, together form a natural spiritual corridor linking Nepal and India.
Despite this shared heritage, Nepal has yet to fully capitalize on India’s vast outbound tourism market. While India remains Nepal’s largest source of tourist arrivals, there is significant untapped potential to attract higher numbers of visitors, encourage longer stays, and generate repeat visits.
According to recent data, Nepal welcomed approximately 1.15 million tourists in 2024, reflecting a gradual recovery of the tourism industry in the post–COVID-19 period.
However, arrivals from India recorded a slight decline. Data released by the Nepal Tourism Board show that 1,147,567 foreign visitors entered Nepal by air between January and December 2024, marking an 8.8 percent increase compared to 1,014,817 visitors in 2023.
Despite this overall growth, the number of Indian tourists decreased by 0.68 percent, with 317,773 Indian visitors arriving by air in 2024, down from 319,936 in 2023. Although the government had set a target of welcoming 1.6 million tourists in 2024, actual arrivals fell short, highlighting the need for stronger promotional efforts in key markets such as India.
Initiatives like the Nepal Varanasi Roadshow are expected to play a vital role in boosting pilgrimage tourism.
The campaign aims to encourage Hindu pilgrims to include Pashupatinath Temple in their Char Dham Yatra, while also promoting Lumbini as the starting point of Buddhist pilgrimages, recognizing it as the birthplace of Gautam Buddha.
Speaking at the event, NICCI Vice President Kunal Kayal emphasized that the Nepal–India bond is not merely defined by geography or commerce, but is anchored in shared spiritual reverence connecting Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi and Pashupatinath in Kathmandu.
“These are not just two temples; they are two ends of a single sacred thread that has united our people for centuries,” he said.
Kayal further highlighted the significance of the Buddhist Circuit, tracing the footsteps of the Enlightened One from Lumbini to his first sermon in Sarnath, as well as the Sikh Circuit, which honors the travels of Guru Nanak Dev Ji through the Himalayas and the plains.
“Whether it is a dip in the Ganges or the Bagmati, our cultures have always mirrored one another,” he added.
Explaining the objective of the roadshow, Kayal stated, “Our goal is to transform these ancient routes into a modern, seamless Religious and Spiritual Circuit. We want a devotee who experiences the aarti in Kashi to easily envision and access their next prayers at Pashupatinath in the Himalayas.”
Immediate Past President of NICCI, Shreejana Rana, delivered a presentation on the five religious circuits connecting Nepal and India, as documented in the coffee table book ‘Religious and Spiritual Circuits – Nepal and India’, which was officially launched during the roadshow.
Officiating Director of the Nepal Tourism Board, Sunil Sharma, invited international travelers, including Indian tourists, to visit Nepal to “see it, feel it where time stops.”
He described Nepal through three defining elements—Mystery, History, and Hospitality, stating that where there is mystery, there is history, and where there is history, there is hospitality.
Keynote speaker Binod Kumar Chaudhary highlighted Nepal’s unique offerings, noting that the country’s blend of spirituality, natural beauty, panoramic mountain views, lakes, wildlife, favorable climate, and warm hospitality is rare and forms Nepal’s greatest strength for economic growth.
Concluding the event, NICCI Executive Committee Member Shashi Kant Agrawal delivered the valedictory remarks, emphasizing that the Nepal Varanasi Roadshow marked NICCI’s first-ever international event outside Nepal.
He reaffirmed NICCI’s commitment to organizing more such initiatives in the future to strengthen people-to-people connections through pilgrimage tourism and joint economic initiatives.
