KATHMANDU, AUGUST 10
Jyoti Lal Khanna - a founder member of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Nepal Chapter and a pioneer tourism activist - passed away last night at his residence in New Delhi. He was 83 years of age and suffered a heart attack.
Khanna made great contributions to the tourism and hospitality industry during his time in Nepal. He came to Nepal in 1960 and started his professional career as a manager at Hotel Coronation at Dilli Bazar before joining Yeti Travels as director of sales in 1968. He was made the managing director of the company in 1972 and took over the responsibility of forming the PATA Nepal Chapter in 1975 along with Prabhakar SJB Rana, late founding chairman of PATA; DB Rana; IK Pradhan; Gopal Subedi, and Edward McCarthy.
The Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) was launched in Nepal in 2004 by International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the support of the Tourism Ministry, Royal Nepal Airlines, and Yeti Travels under the leadership of JL Khanna; which was a giant leap in the ticketing business in Nepal.
Khanna also worked on different layers of services in travel and tourism associations, including the World Association of Travel Agents (WATA), American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) as president from 2001 till 2004. He was also a patron of Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) in Nepal.
Some prestigious awards recognition received by Khanna were the Pioneer of the Pacific Award by PATA in 1976, Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Bahu (Fourth) conferred by late king Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev in 1997, Sagarmatha Award by NATTA, and Tourism Promotion Award by Travel Media Forum of New Delhi (India) in 1997, among many others.
In a statement today, PATA Nepal Chapter expressed condolences over Khanna's passing on Tuesday night and gratitude for his lifelong dedication, untiring efforts, and remarkable roles over four decades for promotion and development of tourism sector in Nepal.
Similarly, the NATO has also extended its condolences. "The Nepali tourism fraternity, already missing his steady guiding hand and voice of reason since his retirement, will now no longer have access to his counsel and good wishes," a statement read.
NATO President Ashok Pokharel informed that Khanna is survived by his wife, son, daughter-in-law and a grandchild.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 11, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
