Nine photographs showcasing the natural beauty, cultural heritage and tourism potential of Koshi Province have been recognized at the Trail-based Tourism Development Project (TTDP) Photo Competition 2026.
The award ceremony was held in Biratnagar on August 7, bringing attention to the tourism possibilities of eastern Nepal through photography and visual storytelling.
The winning photographs were selected from 331 entries submitted by 37 photographers, with the competition covering four major tourism trails, Mundum, Laligurans, Chiyabari and Phalgunanda. The awards were presented by the Minister and Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Forest and Environment of Koshi Province.
Photography highlights Koshi’s tourism potential
The competition was organized to showcase Koshi Province’s landscapes, cultural heritage and tourism destinations and to use photography as a means of promoting them to a wider audience.
The four featured trails represent different tourism experiences within the province, ranging from mountain and forest landscapes to tea-growing areas and culturally significant routes.
The competition therefore provides an opportunity to present Koshi not only as a destination for scenic travel but also as a region where visitors can experience local cultures, communities and trail-based tourism.
The Nepal Tourism Board had also promoted the competition by inviting photographers to submit photographs from the Mundum, Phalgunanda, Laliguras and Chiyabari trails.
Four trails form the focus of the project
The Mundum, Chiyabari, Phalgunanda and Laligurans trails are the four principal trail routes being promoted under TTDP. Project information states that these routes extend across 29 municipalities in Koshi Province and are intended to strengthen trail-based tourism while creating opportunities for local communities.
The Mundum route is associated with the cultural landscape of eastern Nepal, while the Chiyabari route highlights the region’s famous tea-growing environment. The Phalgunanda route has strong cultural and religious associations, and the Laligurans route is particularly linked with the rhododendron-rich landscapes of the eastern hills.
Nepal and Switzerland working together on sustainable tourism
The photo competition is part of the broader Trail-based Tourism Development Project, a joint initiative of the Governments of Nepal and Switzerland.
The project is being implemented in cooperation with the Koshi Province Government and 29 local governments, while Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation Nepal provides technical assistance on behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
The wider objective is to promote sustainable tourism and increase economic opportunities for people living around the selected tourism trails while encouraging the conservation of local culture and heritage.
Trail development linked with local economic opportunities
The TTDP is considerably broader than the photography competition. Under the project, around 400 kilometres of trails are planned for construction or improvement across Koshi Province.
When the project agreement was announced, the initiative was expected to create approximately 2,000 tourism-related local jobs, while trail construction itself was projected to generate around 500,000 person-days of employment through cash-for-work activities. The completed trail network is also expected to attract around 80,000 visitors annually, helping generate economic activity in communities located along the routes.
The project places particular emphasis on linking tourism development with local communities. Rather than focusing only on bringing visitors to established destinations, TTDP seeks to improve trails and tourism services in areas where local people can participate directly in the tourism economy.
This can include opportunities related to accommodation, food services, guiding, transportation, handicrafts and other locally provided tourism products. The broader project also emphasizes sustainable and culturally sensitive tourism so that increased visitor numbers contribute to local development while supporting the conservation of the region’s natural and cultural resources.
Building a stronger tourism identity for Koshi
Koshi Province possesses a wide range of tourism resources, including Himalayan landscapes, forests, tea gardens, biodiversity, cultural communities and religious sites. However, many destinations in the province remain less familiar to visitors than Nepal’s established tourism centres.
The TTDP therefore combines trail improvement with destination branding, marketing and tourism promotion to strengthen Koshi’s identity as an adventure and cultural tourism destination. Project partners are also working on tourism promotion and stakeholder engagement to make the province’s less-explored destinations more visible to domestic and international travellers.
The use of photography fits directly into this promotional approach. High-quality photographs can communicate the character of a destination quickly, showing potential visitors the landscapes, cultural activities and experiences available along the trails.
For emerging destinations, such visual promotion can be particularly valuable because it creates awareness before travellers have personally experienced the destination. The participation of 37 photographers and 331 entries indicates significant interest in documenting Koshi’s tourism resources through this medium.
A platform for cultural and natural heritage
The four trails also provide an opportunity to promote the living culture of eastern Nepal. Tourism along these routes can connect visitors with local communities and their traditions rather than limiting tourism to sightseeing at individual attractions. The project has specifically identified cultural conservation and sustainable tourism as important elements of its work, meaning that the development of trails is intended to go alongside greater recognition of local heritage.
This approach is particularly significant for Koshi because the province contains diverse ethnic and cultural communities as well as distinctive landscapes. By documenting these places through photography and developing physical access through trails, tourism authorities and project partners can create a stronger connection between destination promotion, cultural preservation and local economic development.
Photo competition adds momentum to tourism promotion
The recognition of nine photographs at the TTDP Photo Competition 2026 adds another dimension to Koshi’s ongoing tourism promotion efforts. While the award event itself focused on photography, it also provided a platform to draw public attention to the four tourism trails being developed under the project. The photographs can help create a visual record of Koshi’s landscapes and cultural resources while encouraging photographers, travellers and tourism businesses to look more closely at destinations across the province.
The competition also follows earlier efforts to promote Koshi through photography. In 2025, a province-level photography competition and exhibition in Kanyam selected 60 photographs showcasing tourism destinations in the province, demonstrating continued interest in using photography to strengthen tourism promotion.
A step toward sustainable tourism development
The recognition of nine photographs is therefore part of a larger tourism-development effort in Koshi Province. The TTDP combines trail improvement, tourism promotion, community participation, capacity building and cultural conservation rather than relying solely on destination marketing.
With Switzerland providing financial and technical cooperation and Nepal’s federal, provincial and local governments participating in implementation, the project represents a coordinated effort to develop tourism infrastructure while increasing economic opportunities for communities along the trails.
The TTDP Photo Competition 2026 has given this broader initiative a strong visual platform. By recognizing photographs from the Mundum, Laligurans, Chiyabari and Phalgunanda trails, the competition has helped highlight the diversity of Koshi Province and its potential as an emerging destination for nature, culture and adventure tourism.
If the trail improvements, community participation and promotional activities progress as planned, these routes could play an increasingly important role in expanding tourism beyond Nepal’s traditional destinations and bringing greater economic benefits to eastern Nepal.
