A three-day Api Himal Tourism Festival is set to be held in Api Himal Rural Municipality of Darchula from Kartik 17 to 19, with organizers aiming to promote tourism, create employment and income-generating opportunities for local communities, and strengthen the rural economy. The festival will be organized at Pilakand, near the Api Himal Base Camp in Ward No. 1 of Api Himal Rural Municipality.
Festival to Promote Tourism and Local Economy
Api Himal Rural Municipality Chairman Bhakta Singh Thekare Bohora said the festival is being organized with the objective of increasing tourism activities and creating opportunities for local people to generate employment and income. He said the event has been planned in line with the objectives outlined in the municipality’s policies and programs for the current fiscal year.
As an integrated tourism festival, various activities related to the event will also be conducted in different parts of the rural municipality. According to Bohora, this approach is expected to ensure that tourism-related benefits reach communities across the municipality rather than being concentrated only around the festival venue.
Sustainable Tourism Project Supports Promotion
Tourism promotion in the Api Mountain region has been receiving support through the Sustainable Tourism Project, implemented in partnership between the Government of Nepal and Api Himal Rural Municipality. The municipality has also been conducting various programs to promote the Api Himal Base Camp and expand tourism activities in the area.
The local government has formed a main organizing committee under the coordination of the rural municipality chairman to ensure the festival is conducted in an organized manner. The committee includes the rural municipality vice-chairperson and chairpersons of all wards, among other members. The municipality’s Chief Administrative Officer has been appointed as the member-secretary.
Api Mountain Targeted as Major Tourism Destination
The rural municipality has set a goal of developing the naturally scenic Api Himal region into a major tourism destination. Bohora said the government has also recognized the municipality’s contribution to rural tourism development.
With more than 5,000 tourists visiting annually, the municipality aims to increase arrivals to 10,000 by improving tourism infrastructure, trekking trails and sustainable tourism initiatives, with the broader goal of establishing Api Himal as a major tourism destination in Sudurpashchim Province. The local government has been prioritizing tourism infrastructure development and the expansion of trekking trails to establish Api Himal as one of the major tourism destinations in the Sudurpashchim Province.
Infrastructure Development and Employment in Focus
Api Himal Rural Municipality has also been included among the 100 tourism destinations identified by the Government of Nepal. The local government expects recent publicity to further increase awareness of the destination. The rural municipality believes that the publication of photographs of Api Mountain on social media by Prime Minister Balendra Shah could provide additional momentum to its tourism promotion efforts.
Bohora said the municipality’s next priority is to ensure that tourism infrastructure already constructed is maintained sustainably while linking it directly with employment and income-generation opportunities for local communities. “Our priority now is to make the infrastructure already built sustainable and connect it with employment and income generation,” Bohora said. He added that the municipality aims to develop Api Himal as a technology-friendly, self-reliant and major tourism destination.
Festival Expected to Strengthen Rural Tourism
The three-day festival is expected to provide a platform to showcase Api Himal’s natural beauty, trekking opportunities and local culture while encouraging greater visitor movement into the region. By combining tourism promotion with local economic activities, the municipality hopes the festival will help increase tourist spending, generate livelihood opportunities and establish Api Himal as a sustainable mountain tourism destination in western Nepal.
