Kathmandu, August 20

Korea Tours and Trekking Operator Association Nepal (KTTOAN) organised a one-day training on Korean etiquette, high-altitude sickness, first-aid and rescue for guides and assistant guides here today.

Organised with the support of the South Korean Embassy in Kathmandu, the training was jointly inaugurated by Ambassador of South Korea to Nepal Park Young-sik, Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) Deepak Raj Joshi and KTTOAN President Amar Bahadur Shahi. Altogether, 55 participants from different travel trekking companies benefitted from the training programme, as per a media release.

Addressing the programme, Korean envoy Park said that the number of Korean tourists visiting Nepal would exceed 37,000 this year. He also hoped that the training would help ensure the safety of tourists.

According to him, Nepal is mostly known for its Himalayas and mountains in Korea. “Because of this perception, Korean visitors come here mainly for trekking. To attract more Korean tourists, accommodation facilities and food should be upgraded,” he has been quoted as saying.

Stating that Lumbini could be yet another attraction and major tourist destination among Korean tourists, Park urged NTB to promote and publicise Lumbini in Korea.

Similarly, Joshi said that NTB was always ready to work together with KTTOAN for tourism promotion, as Korea is a major market for Nepal. He also expressed the belief that the training would be instrumental in ensuring the safety of tourists. He hoped that more tourists from Korea would visit Nepal in the days to come.

Joshi requested the Korean government to extend support to Nepal for tourism promotion in Korea for making the upcoming Visit Nepal Year 2020 campaign a success.

Delivering his welcome remarks, Shahi hoped that the training would minimise the risk of casualties and ensure safe travel.

Over the past five years, the number of South Korean tourists visiting Nepal has been increasing considerably.

Shahi called on NTB to join hands with KTTOAN for organising tourism promotion programmes in Korea for better performance and results. “Tourism promotion activities, including B2B sessions and travel fairs should be organised in South Korea in an effective manner as the Korean market has been growing over the years,” Shahi said, as per the release.

The programme was run by Treasurer of KTTOAN Nawang Ngima Sherpa, while the training was conducted by Ho Choul Lee, Tuli Gurung, Lal Prasad Bhattarai, Dr Sanjay Karki , Dr Abhijeet Adhikari and Arjun Paudyal.