KATHMANDU, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Nepal's hospitality industry has taken initiative to promote gastronomy tourism in Nepal.
The Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), a grouping of hoteliers, has launched the campaign named Campaign to Globalize Nepalese Cuisines under which the HAN plans to internationalize 25 Nepali food items.
The food items include: Kwanti, Sisne jhol, Phando, Jwano ko jhol, Pancha Kwa, Chukur khanda, Karesabari, Chukauni, Timure Aalu, Fulaura, Sekuwa, Sandheko, Tareko, Usineko, Pakku, Chhoyola, Mo:mo, Chatamari, WO, Jogi Bhat, Daal Bhat, Dhindi,Himali, Yomari, Sikarni and Dahiphal, according to HAN.
"These items have been selected from around 200 items collected from different communities of the country," Binayak Shah, secretary general of HAN, told Xinhua on Wednesday. "The recipes for these items can be available across the globe."
It is the first ever effort from Nepal's hospitality industry to attract tourists by promoting Nepal's food items. "There are number of tourists who make trips around the world to taste food of different countries. I see a huge scope of gastronomy tourism in Nepal," said Shah.
In order to promote these items, the HAN is organizing an event in Kathmandu on April 14 (the first day of Nepali New Year 2075), where a book about the recipes of these 25 items will be released. "Separate video clips about making these items will also be released on the internet on the same day," said Shah.
The HAN is also organizing a food festival on the same day where it plans to invite dignitaries including ambassadors of various countries to Nepal to take taste of these 25 items and receive their feedbacks.
Beside HAN's campaign, Nepal Tourism Board, the main body to promote tourism, has also launched parallel campaign to promote Nepali food items under the banner of Experience Nepal-Culture and Cuisines since January for two years.
Nepal received 940,218 tourists in 2017, up 24.86 percent from 2016, according to Department of Immigration of Nepal.