KATHMANDU: Six major Nepali tourism associations hosted a high-level lunch meeting with European Union ambassadors and heads of mission at The Dwarika's Hotel in Kathmandu on May 26, using the occasion to showcase Nepal's tourism potential to the European market and press for two longstanding industry priorities, Nepal's removal from the EU Air Safety List and increased European investment in Nepal's tourism sector.

The meeting was attended by 23 senior EU diplomatic representatives, including three ambassadors based in Kathmandu and 20 ambassadors or heads of mission based in New Delhi. It opened with a presentation on European travellers by Nepal Tourism Board and the participating associations, followed by a networking lunch.

The meeting was jointly hosted by the presidents and senior executives of the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN), Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN), Nepal Association of Travel and Tour Agents (NATTA), Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN), and Expeditions Operators Association (EoA).

The EU diplomatic representatives who attended included the Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal, and the ambassadors or heads of mission of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, and Slovakia.

Nepal's continued presence on the EU Air Safety List, which restricts Nepali carriers from operating in European airspace, has long been cited by the tourism industry as a barrier to growing direct European arrivals and enhancing Nepal's aviation credibility internationally.