POKHARA: An initiative to develop a ‘Silver Triangle’ tourism circuit linking Pokhara, Bharatpur and Lumbini has been advanced to promote tourism, strengthen inter-city cooperation and attract more visitors to the three major destinations.
Pokhara Metropolitan City in Kaski, Bharatpur Metropolitan City in Chitwan, and Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality in Rupandehi are jointly working to turn the concept into a practical tourism promotion strategy. The initiative aims to facilitate the exchange of good practices, encourage collaboration and strengthen the tourism economies of the three destinations.
Bharatpur Metropolitan City organised an interaction programme on the ‘Silver Triangle’ on Monday to gather suggestions from stakeholders and develop future plans. Representatives of the three local governments, elected officials, administrators, private-sector leaders and tourism entrepreneurs expressed their commitment to expanding tourism cooperation.
Speaking at the event, Narayan Prasad Adhikari, chief of the Chitwan District Coordination Committee, said the three destinations could complement one another by promoting Pokhara for adventure tourism, Bharatpur for nature-based tourism and Lumbini for cultural and religious tourism. He stressed that cleanliness and environmental protection should receive as much attention as tourism infrastructure development.
Dhanraj Acharya, mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City, said the initiative was designed to strengthen the economies of all three cities by attracting more tourists. He noted that the local governments had already reached an understanding to incorporate tourism promotion programmes into their policies and plans.
“We now need to advance business-to-business (B2B) and government-to-government (G2G) cooperation in concrete and visible ways,” Acharya said, adding that improved connectivity could encourage visitors to explore Pokhara, Chitwan and Lumbini during the same trip.
Kalpana Harijan, acting mayor of Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality, stressed the need to increase private-sector investment in tourism development. She also called for collective efforts to ensure the sustainable operation of Pokhara International Airport and Gautam Buddha International Airport.
Gopi Bhattarai, coordinator of Pokhara Visit Year 2025–2026, emphasised stronger collaboration between the government and private sector. Noting that recent natural disasters had adversely affected tourism, he said efforts should be made to communicate the message that Nepal remains open and safe for visitors.
Santosh Pokharel, an executive member of the Nepal Tourism Board, highlighted the importance of effective digital marketing, noting that many travellers rely on online platforms to discover destinations and plan their trips.
Similarly, Chitrasen Adhikari, acting mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City, said cooperation and partnerships were essential to promoting the three destinations, which represent important aspects of Nepal’s tourism identity. He announced that a ‘Silver Triangle’ tourism fair would be organised soon.
Earlier, the three local governments signed a memorandum of understanding in May to advance the ‘Silver Triangle’ tourism initiative.