Nepal won the Best Booth Operation Award for ‘its outstanding booth operations with the warmest hospitality and excellent display’ at the Korea World Travel Fair (Kotfa) 2018. The four-day event concluded on Sunday at COEX Convention and Exhibition Center in Seoul.

Nepal’s participation at the fair was led by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) in coordination with five private sector companies: Annapurna Treks and Expedition; Appointment Travels and Tours; Budget Travels and Tours; Pema Treks and Expedition and Wings Treks and Expedition.

Nepal used the platform to communicate fresh updates on tourism front and create visibility of Nepal as a destination in the Korean market, the NTB said in a press statement.

Kotfa, the largest international travel fair in South Korea, is an ideal platform to reach out to the target market of Korea. More than 50 countries and 50 domestic companies participated at the show to promote their destinations and products. The fair provided an opportunity to meet with Korean travellers and foster mutual relationship with local, regional and

global partners, according to the NTB.

South Korea, with 50 percent Buddhist population, is a steadily growing market for Nepal. Most Koreans view Nepal as the birthplace of Lord Buddha, a pilgrimage destination, spiritually healing and fulfilling. They usually visit Lumbini, Pokhara and trek in the Annapurna and Everest regions. Korean visitors to Nepal are usually high-end tourists who are educated and have spending power.

Nepal and South Korea have shared friendly diplomatic relations since 1974. With more Korean tourists visiting Nepal every year, and around 26,000 Nepalis living in South Korea for employment, cultural proximity has grown in the last decade.

In 2017, Nepal reached a milestone with the arrival of 1 million tourists. In 2017, 34,301 South Koreans visited Nepal—almost double the number that visited five years ago.

“With the vision of getting 2 million tourists in 2020, Nepal’s hopes are anchored on the growth in tourist arrivals from the countries in the neighbourhood and region. The trend of regional tourism has also been booming with dramatic growth of Asian low-cost carriers that has opened up new routes and spurred on the travel industry in the continent,” the NTB said.