Nepal is all set to host Global Adventure and Mountaineering Conference and Expo (GAMCE) 2017 from March 31 to April 2.

The event to be held at Hyatt Regency in Kathmandu will bring together mountain sports celebrities, outdoor gear manufacturers, and adventure travel operators, among others.

The adventure tourism sector witnessed a 195 percent growth between 2010 and 2012 compared to a 5 percent growth in the general tourism segment during the same period, according to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Speaking at a press conference organised in the Capital on Wednesday, Birendra Rajkarnicar, the organiser of the event, appealed to all the stakeholders to come onboard and make whatever contribution they can make to the event.

On the occasion, Ghana S Gurung, senior conservation programme director at WWF Nepal, said high-end and niche tourism services are still not up to the par in Nepal. Citing successful “snow leopard tourism” scheme being run in Ladakh in India, he said such high revenue generating segments also contributes to nature conservation efforts.

Turkish Airlines Country Manager Abdullah Tuncer KECECI said events like GAMCE can increase Nepal’s visibility in international source markets. He also pointed out the role of international airlines to trigger growth of tourism business.

Located near East Asia and Southeast Asia—the emerging travel markets—Nepal can harvest geographic advantage. Moreover, Nepal’s location between two booming economies of the world—India and China—gives it another significant advantage, according to the organiser.

Stating Hollywood movie Everest’s contribution to the growth in tourism in the Everest region, GAMCE Co-chairperson Lisa Choegyal said she expected a similar positive bump in the number of tourists because of recently-released movie Doctor Strange.

GAMCE focuses on three parallel tracks: Adventure as sports, adventure as tourism and adventure in context of the environment.