Press Release
Nepal Tourism Promotion Program
On August 1, 2023, the Embassy of Nepal in Washington, D.C. and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) jointly organized a tourism promotion program by showcasing the Nepal Tourism Campaign videos produced by ‘This is America & the World’ program for PBS channels, as well as through Steller Influencer Campaign (Steller), both of which were sponsored by the USAID and Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).
Speaking at the launching event, Ambassador Sridhar Khatri thanked the USAID for their continuous support to Nepal’s socioeconomic development efforts. More specifically, he thanked the USAID Mission to Nepal for sponsoring the Nepal Tourism Campaign. He also thanked the producers of the PBS videos Mr. Dennis Wholey and his team from ‘This is America & the World’ program and Mr. Vazul Szakacs from Steller, and the 10 influencers involved in it for their hard work and excellent artistic and technical presentation. Mentioning that Nepal has always been known for its breathtaking nature and rich and diverse culture, he said that today Nepal is a vibrant democracy and a promising economy that is open for business with outside world including in the sectors of energy, tourism, agriculture, and IT.
Also addressing the event, Deputy Assistant Director of the USAID Anjali Kaur spoke focusing on USAID’s development priorities in Nepal such as agriculture, tourism, and information technology. She expressed happiness on the success of the tourism campaign launched back in June this year in partnership with NTB which involved the production and dissemination of videos through content creators and influencers. She also expressed satisfaction on the partnership with the Embassy, the NTB and other government agencies in Nepal in producing videos for five episodes of the programs being aired on PBS channels across the United States since June. She further added that the US development support for Nepal will continue in the coming days.
The documentary videos on PBS channels and Steller contents showcase Nepal’s breathtaking landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and warm hospitality to audiences worldwide, also highlighting the investment and business potentials of Nepal. The PBS programs broadcasts will also be repeated in the fall.
Deputy Executive Assistant Director Patrick McElwain from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) spoke about HIS’s experiences and commitment in recovering lost Nepali artifacts. A few out of the forty wooden artifacts that were recovered and handed over to the Embassy by the DSI on 11th May this year were also on display in the program.
Mr. Dennis Wholey, TV host on PBS channels and Executive Producer of ‘This is America and the World’ shared his experience of filming the videos in Nepal while displaying a short overview of the videos.
Tourism expert John E. Heather spoke about sustainable eco-tourism, appreciating the warm hospitality of Nepali people. Mr. Vazul Szakacs, Marketing Manager from Steller stressed on the importance of tourism marketing through digital platforms including the social media.
Other distinguished guests attending the event included officials from various US Government agencies including the State Department, former US Ambassadors to Nepal, travel and adventure tour experts and media persons.
The programs being aired on PBS channels can be accessed through the following links:
Episode 2640: Nepal Today – Country Overview
LINK – https://youtu.be/At8ZnPw3wAM
Episode 2642: Nepal Today – Economy, Investment & Growth
LINK – https://youtu.be/ywiZ1mxWgkc
Episode 2643: Nepal Today – Culture and Tourism
LINK – https://youtu.be/Q4RWp7b7IIc
Episode 2644: Nepal Today – Spiritual Heritage (Hinduism)
LINK – https://youtu.be/otygm551jLw
Episode 2645: Nepal Today – Spiritual Heritage (Buddhism)
The Steller contents can be accessed on the social media pages of the following influencers:
The content creators are Lindsay Steven, Eric Matt| Montana, Allison Wolf, Jake Guzman, Alex Stead, Magdalena Mittersteiner, Chloe Chapdelaine, Evelyn Cheng, Kyle Kotajarvi, and Michelle Lawrence.
Embassy of Nepal, Washington, D.C.
1st August 2023
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