Nepal Tourism Board Launches ‘Travel Specialist’ Online Course to Boost Industry Skills

The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has launched the ‘Nepal Travel Specialist – Basic Level’ online course to enhance the knowledge, skills, and service quality of tourism professionals across the country.

The online training program was inaugurated by Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey at the opening ceremony of the Himalayan Travel Mart currently underway in Kathmandu. The course has been developed in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nepal.

According to the board, the training is aimed at travel agents, guides, tour operators, trekking companies, and tourism students. Offered free of charge through NTB’s e-learning platform, the course covers a wide range of topics including Nepal’s geographical, cultural, and biological diversity; trekking and adventure tourism; cultural and wellness tourism; sustainable tourism principles; destination conservation; responsible travel practices; climate resilience; customer service; and effective visitor engagement.

Minister Pandey expressed confidence that the course would contribute to making Nepal’s tourism industry more sustainable, inclusive, and professional.

“This online training initiative is a significant step in upgrading the competencies of our tourism workforce,” he said.

NTB CEO Deepak Raj Joshi said the course would help build digital capacities among tourism professionals. “Through our partnership with UNDP, we are not only sharing knowledge but also laying the foundation for a more sustainable and inclusive tourism industry,” he stated.

The course is part of the ‘Sustainable Tourism Project (STP)’, which will be implemented from 2025 to 2028 in collaboration with UNDP. As part of the Government of Nepal’s ‘Tourism Decade’ strategy, the initiative aims to attract 3.5 million international tourists by 2032.

According to the board, the STP seeks to create 2,500 jobs and provide tourism-related training to 5,000 individuals. The project will focus on infrastructure upgrades, digital innovation, and destination capacity development at the local level, with special emphasis on supporting women and marginalized communities.

The three-day Himalayan Travel Mart, co-organized by NTB, PATA Nepal Chapter, and Nepal Airlines, in partnership with private sector stakeholders, concludes later today, June 5.