Nepal Rebuilds Tourism Future With PATA Foundation Support After Floods Hit Local Communities

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Nepal is currently developing a new infrastructure for tourism recovery after floods destroyed local livelihoods and businesses. To help rebuild, the PATA Foundation started the Nepal Tourism Recovery Fund. The fund provides emergency support to small businesses and employees in the tourism sector. The goal of the fund is to help restore the livelihoods of tourism employees and business owners and help the individuals and families recover the loss of their primary means of income after the widespread damage. This recovery fund support includes guides, drivers, homestay owners and lodge owners.

The floods caused severe destruction, including loss of lives and widespread damage across vulnerable river regions and downstream communities. Many people working in Nepal’s tourism sector, including guides, drivers, porters, homestay owners, lodge operators, teahouse businesses and small hotel owners, have suffered major losses. Homes, business facilities, essential equipment and income sources have been heavily impacted.

The newly launched Nepal Tourism Recovery Fund aims to help tourism-dependent communities restore their livelihoods by supporting recovery efforts and rebuilding the capacity of affected families and small businesses to return to sustainable tourism activities.

In a joint statement, Henry Oh, Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), and Andrew Jones, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PATA Foundation, said: “Our first thoughts are with the families who have lost people, and with those still waiting for news. Nepal’s tourism communities are among the most resilient I have worked with, and they will rebuild. What they need from our industry is support that reaches individual livelihoods, and an accurate account of which parts of the country are open so that the autumn season is not lost as well.

Donations made to the Fund will help address key recovery requirements across Nepal’s tourism sector. The support will provide essential equipment for guides, porters, drivers and other tourism workers, help repair and prepare lodges, homestays and teahouses to welcome visitors again, and supply tools, materials and equipment needed by tourism-related businesses. Funding will also assist with restoring shared community facilities affected by the floods.

All grant applications and allocations will be reviewed and approved by the PATA Foundation’s Board of Trustees. The Foundation will maintain transparency by sharing details of the funds collected and providing updates on how the support is distributed and used for recovery efforts.

“The purpose of this Fund is straightforward: to help tourism-dependent families get back to earning,” added Mr. Jones. “For many people in the affected areas, their home and their tourism business were the same building. Rebuilding the equipment, premises and capacity that allow them to welcome visitors is an important part of the recovery.”

Nepal Continues to Welcome Tourists

PATA and the PATA Foundation are encouraging the global tourism community and travellers to understand that the impact of the floods is limited to specific areas and does not represent conditions across the entire country.

Although the disaster has caused serious damage in affected regions, many parts of Nepal remain accessible and continue to operate for tourism. However, conditions can change rapidly as recovery work progresses and additional weather events may influence travel access in certain locations.

The organisations are advising travel companies, media outlets, visitors and tourism stakeholders to rely on the latest official updates and check destination-specific information before planning trips or sharing travel-related updates.

The Government of Nepal has also requested that travel advisories focus only on directly affected areas, while confirming that other regions across the country remain open and ready to welcome travellers.

“Continued travel to destinations that are open and operating is one of the ways the tourism industry can stand with Nepal at this time,” the statement added. “Those bookings sustain businesses, workers and communities, while allowing recovery efforts to focus on the areas most directly affected.”

The Fund welcomes contributions from individuals, tourism organisations, businesses and other supporters who want to help Nepal’s tourism community recover and rebuild after the disaster.