Policy Dialogue to Advance Gender-Responsive, Resilient Tourism

24th December 2025, Kathmandu

A high-level policy dialogue titled “Advancing Gender-Responsive, Sustainable, and Resilient Tourism Enterprises in Nepal” was held on December 24, 2025, in Kathmandu, bringing together key stakeholders to advance inclusive growth and women’s entrepreneurship in the tourism sector.

Gender Responsive Tourism Policy

The policy dialogue brought together policymakers, development partners, private sector representatives, women entrepreneurs, and subject-matter experts to discuss pathways for strengthening gender-responsive and resilient tourism enterprises in Nepal.

Organized by the Academy of Innovation for Economic Development (ACAIED) Nepal, in collaboration with the Sustainable Tourism Project—a joint initiative of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)—the half-day dialogue focused on strengthening policy and programmatic responses to better support women-led tourism enterprises.

Program Chief Guest and FNCCI President Chandra Dhakal said the workshop was vital for advancing gender-sensitive, sustainable, and resilient tourism enterprises. He noted that while advocacy efforts and institutional reforms are underway, further work remains. Highlighting legal and policy changes to boost women’s participation, Dhakal stressed the need to change the narrative that Nepal lacks progress.

He said Nepal is ready to demonstrate the country’s potential to mobilize domestic capital and implement large-scale projects, adding that the tourism sector has grown significantly, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism remains a vital pillar of Nepal’s economy, contributing significantly to employment generation, foreign exchange earnings, and local livelihoods. Women play an important role in the sector, particularly through micro, small, and medium enterprises such as homestays, accommodation services, handicrafts, food services, and community-based tourism. However, repeated shocks—including natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate risks, and economic slowdowns—have disproportionately affected women-led enterprises, exposing persistent gaps in access to finance, markets, skills, technology, and institutional support.

Advertisement

“The policy dialogue seeks to bridge the gap between policy commitments and on-the-ground implementation by placing gender responsiveness, sustainability, and resilience at the center of tourism recovery and transformation,” said Durga Thapa, CEO of ACAIED Nepal. She further noted that the discussions aligned with Nepal’s national development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

Speaking on the importance of the dialogue, Deepak Raj Joshi, Chief Executive Officer of the Nepal Tourism Board, emphasized the need to mainstream gender responsiveness in tourism recovery and growth. “Women-led tourism enterprises are central to Nepal’s tourism ecosystem, particularly at the community level. Strengthening their resilience and ensuring meaningful policy support is essential for building a more inclusive, competitive, and sustainable tourism sector,” said Joshi. He further noted that the dialogue aligned with NTB’s broader vision of inclusive tourism development. “At the Nepal Tourism Board, we strongly believe that sustainable tourism growth cannot be achieved without empowering women entrepreneurs.

This policy dialogue provided an important platform to translate policy commitments into practical, on-the-ground action,” he added. The programme focused on two key thematic areas: Gender-Responsive Tourism Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Sustainability, and Building Resilience in Women-Led Tourism Enterprises. Participants explored policy measures, good practices, and enterprise-level strategies to strengthen resilience against economic, climate, and market-related shocks.

Two panel discussions—“Women’s Entrepreneurship in Tourism: From Policy Commitments to Practice” and “Inclusive and Resilient Tourism Growth: Priorities for Collaboration and Action”—synthesized lessons learned and identified priority actions for government agencies, development partners, and the private sector.

The dialogue generated policy-relevant insights and recommendations, strengthened stakeholder coordination, and contributed to ongoing and future initiatives aimed at promoting women’s economic empowerment and inclusive tourism growth in Nepal.

For More:-Gender Responsive Tourism Policy