KATHMANDU: For the first time, Nepal will host the International Hotel and Resturant Association (IH&RA) World Congress in Kathmandu. During the IH&RA 47th annual congress from 18-21 January 2010 in Belgrade, Serbia, Nepal won the bid for host country for the year 2011. The 48th IH&RA World Congress will be organised in Argentina in December, 2010 while it will be the 49th IH&RA World Congress in Nepal in 2011.

According to Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) executive chairman Madhav Om Shrestha, 15 years ago there was an executive committee meeting of IH&RA held in Nepal. Now, for the first time Nepal will host the IH&RA World Congress. “The exact date is still not fixed but we have proposed August 2011,” said Shrestha adding that the world congress will have 400 participants from abroad.

HAN will conduct its annual general meet (AGM) on March 25, said Shrestha. It has a total of 250 registered members.

The International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) is an international trade association representing the interests of hotel and restaurant industries. It was founded in 1946, and was headquartered in Paris , France, from 1946 to 2007. As of January 2008, the corporate headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland.

IH&RA members are national hotel and restaurant associations throughout the world, and international and national hotel and restaurant chains representing some 50 brands. Officially recognized by the United Nations, IH&RA monitors and lobbies international agencies on behalf of the industry, estimated to comprise 300,000 hotels and eight million restaurants. It employs 60 million people and contributes $950 billion annually to the global economy. IH&RA is the business organisation representing the hospitality industry worldwide.

IH&RA members include national hotel and restaurant associations in some 100 countries throughout the world and the organisation also welcomes affiliate members — individual hotels and restaurants, whether independent or chain-affiliated. IH&RA also includes allied members such as suppliers to the industry, educational institutes, consultants and complementary hospitality and travel and tourism associations.

The 46th General Assembly of IH&RA was organised from October 20 to 22, 2008, where 250 delegates and hospitality leaders from 40 nations attended the congress that was held in Mexico with its main theme ‘Leading sustainable development worldwide’.

The Congress addressed some important issues as climate change and hospitality, international standardization issue for hotels and restaurants, natural disaster and hospitality, exploitation of children in tourism and free migration of labour among countries in the hospitality field.

The main aim of the association is to monitor issues that are raised by major international organizations involved in tourism, represent the collective industry interests before policy makers, lobby for better recognition of the hospitality industry worldwide, create global councils around industry issues to debate positions and create solutions as well listen to its members to ensure that all issues are addressed.