KATHMANDU: Nepal's new government has placed wellness and adventure tourism at the heart of its 100-point governance reform agenda, setting tight deadlines for actionable tourism plans as part of its delivery-based governance framework approved by the cabinet on Friday.

Among the 100 priorities made public on Saturday, two directly concern the tourism sector — one focused on unlocking untapped trekking and nature tourism destinations, and another positioning Nepal as a global hub for wellness and healing tourism.

Wellness tourism on a 15-day clock

The government has given itself just 15 days to release a national wellness tourism strategy aimed at establishing Nepal as an international destination for eastern philosophy, meditation, yoga, and naturopathy-based healing.

The strategy is to be backed by an inter-agency coordination mechanism tasked with preparing for Nepal Wellness Year 2027, which the government intends to treat as a national agenda for economic transformation through wellness tourism.

The announcement comes on the back of a significant diplomatic achievement: the United Nations, on Nepal's proposal, has designated April 15 as International Wellness Day. The government said it would formally express gratitude to all UN member states that voted in favour of the resolution.

New trekking frontiers to get action plan within a month

The government has also directed that a study be conducted within one month on developing organised tourism in several under-explored regions, with an actionable implementation framework to follow.

The areas identified include Udaypur along the Koshi River corridor, Rara Roshan in Achham, Badimalika in Bajura, the Api Himal Trekking Route, and the Dordi Himal Trekking Route — destinations that hold considerable natural and adventure tourism potential but have seen limited infrastructure investment to date.

Delivery-based governance framework

The 100-point agenda, approved at the cabinet meeting of March 27 and made public the following day, is built around measurable outcomes and strict timelines. Each ministry has been directed to prepare action plans for 10 major tasks within a week, complete with deadlines, designated responsible officers, and key performance indicators.

The framework reflects the Balen-led government's electoral promise of results-oriented governance, with tourism identified as one of the sectors where early and visible action is expected to signal the administration's intent.