KATHMANDU: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) — along with eight Nepali private travel trade companies — took part in the Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show held in the beautiful and hyped city of Los Angeles, California, from February 13 to 14.

The event showcased more than 550 exhibitors and a show floor spanning five acres which made the Expo one of the largest of its kind in the US. The show also offered access to expert advice, domestic and international tour operators, value-priced vacation packages and show-only discounts. The show was an adventure in itself where attendees were able to meet their favourite travel personalities, experience cultures from around the world and enjoy on-site activities. The organizers had expect more than 25,000 visitors in the fair in two days.

The Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show 2010 was presented by the Automobile Club of Southern California. Contributing sponsors included Travel Alberta, the Italian government’s Tourism Board and Volvo Cars. The media partner was KTLA and the event was co-sponsored by Unicom, LLC and Los Angeles Times.

Nepal got an overwhelming response from visitors on both days of the fair. Since it was Nepal’s first participation in California, the visitors were very happy to see its presence. The Nepal stall stood unique and colourful with its typical decorations which attracted a larger number of media people and visitors to the stall.

The Nepal stall fully emphasized the promotion of the upcoming Nepal Tourism Year 2011 campaign. The campaign succeeded in getting attention from the media as well as visitors. Some of the online travel websites assured of the coverage of Nepal emphasizing the NTY 2011 campaign on their respective websites.

Most of the visitors were updated about Nepal and seemed concerned about the country’s political situation.

The visitors seemed serious and queried mostly about trekking and cultural tours besides travel seasons and connectivity.

They showed keen interest in NTY 2011 and asked if the government or the private sector had any special packages or incentives for travellers during that period.