Travel-tech startup Honeyguide on Friday organised a training and briefing session on “Trekking in Nepal”—an upcoming informative mobile based application, on Nepali trek destinations, landscapes, cultures, flora and fauna, and biodiversity, among others.

The event saw participation of 95 trek guides, entrepreneurs and students from the hospitality and tourism sector. The session was organised to impart education on the need for shifting towards online marketing and app-based solutions which can generate inflow of foreign revenue while educating foreign and domestic travellers and other stakeholders.

“The Nepali tourism sector needs a boost through positive promotion and mobile applications like this can match the demands of the tourism industry,” said Sushant Sagar Devkota, member of Nepal Tourism Students Council (NTSC). “More training sessions as such should be held to educate stakeholders in the tourism industry.”

“Trekking in Nepal” is a soon-to-be-launched mobile application that acts as an information and support package on various travel destinations of Nepal. The application is loaded with features like “Placecards”, “Deviation and Avalanche Alerts”, “Mountain Finder”, and “Lodge Information”, among others.

“Placecard” provides information on flora and fauna, birds, cultural artefacts and other typical Nepali objects along various trek routes on Nepal filling the trail-knowledge gap among travellers.

“Deviation and Avalanche Alerts” feature acts as a safety feature that will notify any solo traveller if s/he deviates from the specified trail route. The avalanche alerts notify a traveller upon entering avalanche prone areas.

“Mountain Finder” pinpoints every mountain through the trail range and provides interesting facts on those landmarks. Apart from these, the application will also provide information on accommodations, cultural settlements, emergency contact numbers and weather in the travel route.

“There is a need for redefining the guidebook industry according to shifting preferences of travel enthusiasts,” said Sophina Luitel, digital marketing manager at Honeyguide. “We are launching this application to

augment the travel experience of people by providing them with valuable contents while promoting Nepali travel industry.”

According to Luitel, the application will serve to fulfil the knowledge gap among travellers, guides and other stakeholders in the industry.

“The application will be more beneficial to the travel guides if travellers can book guides and porters through it,” said Bishal Suwal, a trekking guide.

“The training program was very beneficial and we hope that this application will help boost knowledge and tourism in Nepal.”

The mobile application is slated for launch on July 17, 2016. The application will be available on Android and iOS platforms and trekking regions can be bought as in-app purchases.

Initially, Honeyguide will launch applications featuring trekking in Everest Region, Annapurna Base Camp and Ghorepani-Poon Hill. The Ghorepani-Poon Hill based application will be provided for free.