KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 27
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal Chapter has elected a new executive committee with Narendra Deo Bhatta, managing director of Heritage Tours & Travel, as its chairman.
The committee was elected unanimously at the chapter's 47th Annual General Meeting and 51st anniversary celebration held in Lalitpur on Friday under the theme "Resilient Nepal". Bhatta succeeds Khem Lakai, who had served as chairman since June 2024 and will remain on the committee as immediate past chairman.
Romi Aryal, managing director of Square Hotel, was elected general secretary, while Prakash Chandra Lohani, chairman of Alpine Rescue Service, was elected honorary treasurer.
Other executive members include Vijay Shrestha of Himalaya Airlines, Suman Ghimire of Jungle Safari Lodge, Sunil Bahadur Bhattarai of Busy Bee Café, Maya Sakya of Park Village Hotel & Resort, Sarita Lama of Off the Wall Trekking, Siddhartha Bikram Thapa of Marcopolo Travels and Bashudev Dhungana of Banbas Chitwan.
Seven proxy members were also elected to the executive committee.
The committee includes six public-sector members, including the chief executive officer of the Nepal Tourism Board as first vice-chairman and the marketing director of Nepal Airlines as second vice-chairman. The director generals of the Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the corporate director of Nepal Airlines and a Nepal Tourism Board representative are ex-officio members.
At the anniversary ceremony, PATA Nepal honoured individuals for their contributions during and after the recent Bhotekoshi flood crisis. The honourees were international tunnelling specialist Prof Arnold Dix, Nepal's first female helicopter captain Priya Adhikari, Globetrotter president André Lüthi, World Central Kitchen representative Dylan Dugas, Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School head teacher Rajendra Dawadi, Nepal Mountaineering Association search and rescue coordinator Bikram Karki, and destination strategist Choy Teh.
PATA Foundation Chair Andrew Jones, who delivered the keynote address, said Nepal remained a priority for PATA and reaffirmed continued support for the country's tourism recovery. He also highlighted the foundation's Nepal Tourism Recovery Fund, which aims to support tourism workers' livelihoods as well as PATA Nepal Chapter and its student chapter.
Outgoing chairman Lakai called for coordinated efforts among tourism stakeholders for faster recovery and sustainable growth of the sector.
Chief guest Sumnima Udas, chair of the International Relations and Tourism Committee of the House of Representatives, congratulated PATA Nepal on its 51-year journey and contribution to the country's tourism development. She also stressed coordinated recovery efforts between the government and private sector following the recent floods.