Nepal has launched a new tourism promotion initiative for Indian digital creators, offering selected influencers, vloggers and podcasters an all-expenses-paid familiarisation tour across the Himalayan nation.
That initiative, led by the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi, aims to harness digital creators’ growing influence to reach more Indian travelers and show Nepal’s diverse tourism offerings to millions of viewers online.
During the programme, five Indian content creators will be selected to travel through Nepal and document their experiences across the country.
The tour will highlight Nepal’s mountains, lakes, temples, stupas, cultural heritage sites, festivals, pilgrimage destinations, adventure tourism, wellness retreats and local cuisine.
The selected creators are expected to produce travel vlogs, short videos, reels, podcasts and social media posts documenting their journey.
They will also be required to share practical travel information and publish at least one testimonial encouraging Indian tourists to visit Nepal.
Nepal Seeks To Turn Influencers Into Tourism Ambassadors
Surendra Thapa, Nepal’s Acting Ambassador to India, said it was the first initiative of its kind and aimed to highlight the deep cultural and spiritual ties between the two nations.
He noted that Nepal already holds a special place among Indian travellers but digital creators could help present the country’s tourism experiences in a more relatable and engaging manner.
According to the embassy, influencers with large online audiences and strong storytelling skills can help showcase Nepal’s culture, landscapes and hospitality to a wider Indian audience.
The programme is designed to promote Nepal as a close, accessible and welcoming destination for Indian travellers.
The embassy said the campaign would focus on leisure travel, pilgrimage, cultural tourism, adventure, wellness and family holidays.
Who Can Apply?
The initiative is to select five Indian influencers, vloggers or podcasters.
Applicants will be evaluated on how much audience engagement, creativity, storytelling ability and the quality of their previous work will be considered in the process.
Fluency in English, Hindi or regional Indian languages could also be an advantage.
Interested applicants must submit their social media statistics, samples of previous travel-related work and a proposal for how they would promote Nepal to Indian audiences.
Applications are open until May 30 and the final travel dates and itinerary are expected to be announced later.
Tourism And Cultural Diplomacy
The initiative is part of Nepal’s bid to enhance tourism promotion in India, one of the country’s largest tourism markets.
Nepal’s tourism sector is still a major part of the country’s economy, contributing to 6.6 to 6.7 per cent of GDP and generating more than 1.2 million direct and indirect jobs.
The country hopes influencer-led storytelling can push more Indians outside the most popular tourist spots to make a difference.
The programme has also received support from some observers who consider it as an example of public diplomacy through tourism and digital media.
The idea of using content creators to promote travel destinations has emerged as a popular concept in most countries worldwide and tourists are increasingly turning to social media videos, travel vlogs and online reviews to plan holidays.
For Nepal, the initiative represents a chance to combine tourism promotion with the longstanding cultural and spiritual ties shared with India.
From Himalayan adventure and wellness retreats to temples, heritage sites, food and pilgrimage sites, the selected creators will be expected to showcase the country through their own experiences.
If successful, the programme could offer Nepal a new model for reaching Indian travellers—one that is based on digital storytelling, personal experiences and creators’ impact and not just advertising.
