Workshop on Storytelling in Nepal's Tourism Industry Successfully Concluded

KATHMANDU, Jan 03:The Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) successfully completed a three-day workshop titled "Storytelling in Nepali Tourism Business". 

The primary goal of this 11-hour workshop, organized by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nepal in collaboration with the "Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery Project" (STLRP), was to cultivate the art of storytelling among tourism professionals and encourage intergenerational knowledge exchange.

The program featured tourism professionals and presenters, facilitators, and interactive sessions, which NATTA believes would considerably improve the standard of tourist storytelling in Nepal by pushing participants to pursue the craft. 

The session began with opening remarks from Nepal Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Deepak Raj Joshi and NATTA President Kumar Mani Thapaliya, who underlined the power of storytelling and its potential to connect with guests while also showcasing Nepal's natural and cultural heritage.

Tourism specialist Dr. Pashupati Neupane emphasized the need of including history, culture, and human tales into destination promotion. Similarly, Thangka artist and painter Anil Ghising answered participants' questions by telling the stories behind Thangka artworks. Binay Shakya, a tourism personnel, explained the structure and practicality of good storytelling, while Sunil Sharma, Senior Manager of the Nepal Tourism Board, provided storytelling and marketing methods for grabbing audience attention and effective communication.

The training was performed as an interactive event, with participants providing creative feedback in groups such as storytelling and tourism program presentations. The training is expected to prepare tourism experts to use storytelling as a potent tool for promoting Nepal as a significant tourist destination.

 Shraddha Joshi, NATTA Training and Development Committee Coordinator, praised the participants' enthusiasm during the training session and handed out awards. 

The workshop was efficiently facilitated by NATTA General Secretary Yuvika Bhandari. The program was conducted by NATTA Chief Executive Officer Raghunath Bidari.

The workshop's initiative to employ storytelling as a means of promotion and communication is thought to have taken a key step toward promoting Nepal as a culturally and emotionally meaningful vacation destination, paving the door for creative techniques in the tourism industry.