2nd Buddhist International Travel Mart begin at Lumbini

LUMBINI, May 11:In Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, the second Buddhist International Travel Mart 2023 has begun.

Ven. Metteyya Sakyaputta (Abhadesh Kumar Tripathi), Vice President of the Lumbini Development Trust, inaugurated the Mart on Thursday. In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation , Nepal Association of Tour and Travel (NATTA), and Nepal Tourism Board, a three-day mart has begun in Lumbini.

The speaker emphasized during the Mart's first session that an atmosphere should be developed for the operation of Gautam Buddha International Airport, and trip packages should be created with Lumbini as the center.

Ven. Metteyya, vice president of the Lumbini Development Trust, requested that a tour itinerary be created from Lumbini, the location of Buddha's birth, at the opening ceremony.

He underlined that Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world should begin their journey from Lumbini and cited the legend of Gautama Buddha teaching that, before achieving Mahaparinirvana, a person would achieve merit by visiting Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, at least once in his life.

In the event, Suresh Adhikari, secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said that the second Budhist International Travel Mart has been planned to make the tourism sector, which has slowed down owing to covid, from Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.

He stated that because Lumbini and Buddha are well-known worldwide, travelers from all over the world have been invited through it.

Dr Dhananjaya Regmi, Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board said that a mart has been organized in Lumbini with the aim of promoting the overall tourism of Lumbini. He said that Lumbini's tourism will be active due to the presence of different countries and buyers and sellers participating in the mart.

In the program, President of Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) Binayak Shah, President of NATTA, Ramesh Thapa, etc. expected that this kind of program will boost the tourism of this region as Lumbini itself is an important tourist destination.

There were 28 travel and tour businesses present from Nepal, India, Malaysia, China, Korea, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and other nations. Participants in the market include presidents and representatives of NATA member firms as well as associations and organizations associated to tourism, as well as representatives of foreign travel and tour operators, the Nepalese government, and the Nepal Tourism Board.