Year-long initiative aims to connect hotels and restaurants across Nepal with digital technology and AI
Kathmandu. The Hotel Professionals Federation Nepal (HPFN) has launched a year-long National Digital Literacy Campaign for the Hotel and Restaurant Industry, aimed at accelerating the digital transformation and strengthening the business capacity of Nepal’s hospitality sector.
The campaign was launched on the occasion of the 47th World Tourism Day, with a particular focus on helping small and medium-sized hotel and restaurant businesses adopt digital tools, expand their online market presence and improve service delivery.
The launch event was attended by Dipendra Subedi, Secretary at the Bagmati Province Ministry of Tourism, Transport, Industry and Labour, as chief guest. Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Naresh Lal Shrestha was present as a special guest.
Other participants included Yagya Prasad Pant, Senior Vice President of the Nepal Industry and Trade Federation; Laxman Gautam, Chief of Planning and Monitoring at the Nepal Tourism Board; Pawan Pokhrel, Chief of the Tourism Office, Bagmati Province; former HPFN President Amrit Bahadur Bhujel; and VITOF Nepal President Harisharan Thapaliya, among representatives of the tourism and private sectors.
Focus on digital capacity of small and medium businesses
Addressing the event, Bagmati Province Tourism Secretary Dipendra Subedi said strengthening the capacity and competitiveness of small and medium-sized hospitality businesses was essential for the overall transformation of Nepal’s tourism sector.
He said the sector would face challenges in keeping pace with changing market demands unless businesses improved their digital capabilities and adopted technology in practical ways. He described the campaign as an important initiative and pledged government support and cooperation for its implementation.
Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Naresh Lal Shrestha said the organization was ready to collaborate with HPFN to expand the campaign nationwide. He emphasized coordination at the provincial and district levels to provide training and capacity-building opportunities to hospitality businesses.
Similarly, Nepal Tourism Board representative Laxman Gautam said the board was ready to work with HPFN on the digital transformation of the hotel and restaurant sector.
Training to cover digital marketing, online booking and QR payments
Under the campaign, hospitality businesses will receive practical training on Google Business Profile, Google Maps, online travel agencies (OTAs), online booking systems, property management systems (PMS), digital marketing, professional use of social media, QR payments, customer review management and digital security.
HPFN plans to use its network of provincial and district associations to extend the campaign across all seven provinces.
The initiative will particularly target businesses operating in rural areas, along highways and in emerging tourist destinations, with the aim of helping them reach customers through online platforms and expand their business opportunities.
One-year campaign, not a one-day event
HPFN said the initiative is intended to go beyond a World Tourism Day celebration and operate as a year-long national campaign.
Led by HPFN President T.R. Bhandari ‘Shankar’, the campaign aims to help businesses that have limited access to digital technology acquire the knowledge, skills and technical support needed to improve day-to-day operations, market access and customer services.
The federation said the first phase of the campaign will run for one year, with programs conducted across the country through its organizational network.
HPFN expects the initiative to help reduce the digital gap among small, medium and large hospitality businesses and contribute to making Nepal’s hotel and restaurant industry more modern, competitive and technology-oriented.
