Veteran tourism entrepreneur Basant Raj Mishra passed away on Sunday morning, October 20. He was 71.
Mishra was undergoing treatment for Dengue at Norvic Hospital in Thapathali, Kathmandu, according to family sources. His body was taken to his residence in Kupondole, Lalitpur, where it was kept until 1 PM for family, friends and well wishers to pay their tribute.
The family sources said that the body would be taken to Pashupati Aryaghat for funeral at 1 PM.
Mishra, who set foot in the tourism industry in the late 1970s, is considered the one to set the foundation for high end tourism in Nepal.
Mishra was also the first Nepali to be the secretary and treasurer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). He also served as the chairman of PATA Nepal Chapter from 1992 to 1996.
Mishra was also the executive chairman of Temple Tiger Group of Companies.
Additionally, he served as the president of the Nepal Association of Tour Operators, which is the representative body for the country's tour operators, and he was also the founding director of the Nepal Tourism Board, the country’s tourism promotion body.
In 2018, Mishra was conferred with a Life Membership Award by PATA, the association’s highest honour, during its annual summit held in South Korea in 2018, for his contribution to the tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region.
Suman Pandey, Vice Chairman of PATA, told NBA that Mishra’s demise was a huge loss to Nepal’s tourism sector.
“Mishra was among the first generation of Nepal’s tourism entrepreneurs who popularised wildlife tourism in the country,” Pandey said. “His contribution to Nepal’s tourism sector is immeasurable.”
