Maya Ko Pahichan Nepal (MKPN), an organisation working for matrimonial and legal rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, announced the ambassador and star promoters for the first Pink Tourism International Conference on Friday.

The event, supported by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), aims to promote Nepal as a welcoming destination for the LGBTQIA+ community under the theme ‘Yatra to Happiness’.

In a press meeting at NTB on Friday, MKPN announced digital content creator, model and fashion designer Rehan Shrestha as the ambassador for the conference. Shrestha was an ambassador of the ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ campaign, too.

Similarly, Parakram Rana and Dr Mausam Bohra, were announced as star promoters for the event. Dr Bohra, a successful female entrepreneur, aims to promote private sector support for pink tourism, emphasising its economic potential.

Rana, a content creator and blogger, highlighted Nepal’s reputation as a safe and welcoming destination for sexual and gender minorities, saying, “Nepal is a safe country. I invite you to come here (Nepal)."

Earlier, blogger Lex Limbu was announced as the star promoter for the international conference who will also be endorsing Nepal’s steps in LGBTQIA+ tourism.

Sunil Babu Pant, who was appointed Cultural Emissary (Ambassador) in January 2024 to promote international pink tourism, said that if tourists can be brought into Nepal through pink tourism, it will help boost Nepal’s GDP.

Maniraj Lamichhane, director of NTB, sharing the efforts to train 24 members of the sexual and gender minority community as trekking guides, with support from UNDP, stated that NTB is committed to inclusivity and making Nepal “a destination for all.”

Sahara Khadka, director of Pink Tiffany, remarked that Nepal has done a groundbreaking job for sexual and gender minority communities by organising the Pink Tourism International Conference for the first time. She further shared that the conference will help diminish the fear of hotels operated by the sexual and gender minority community going into loss.

Mythologist and author of more than 100 books, Devdutt Pattanaik and Paromita Vohra, founder of ‘Agents of Ishq’ will be the keynote speakers at the conference.

Online application for participation in the conference has been opened too. The online form can be filled out on MKPN’s website.