Nepal Picked Up Two PATA Tourism Awards This Month — and Just Named 2027 Its First 'Wellness Year'
A 60-year membership award, a chapter Award of Excellence, and the world's highest marathon on display in Malaysia — Nepal's late-summer tourism push signals a pivot from trekking-only to trekking-plus-wellness.
At a glance
- Published
- TopicIndustry & Tourism
- Verified againstTTR Weekly
- Treks coveredEverest Base Camp Trek — 14 Days, Yoga & Trek Nepal — 10 Days
Nepal's tourism industry picked up two international honours inside three months this year, then used a trade fair in Malaysia to announce it's adding a new pitch to its oldest one: alongside Everest and the classic treks, the country wants 2027 remembered as its first 'Wellness Year.'
Key facts
- The PATA Nepal Chapter won the 2026 PATA Award of Excellence, announced 17 August 2026 in Kuching, Malaysia
- The Nepal Tourism Board separately received PATA's Long Standing Membership Award in May 2026, marking roughly 60 years of continuous PATA membership
- Both honours fed into PATA Travel Mart 2026 (18–20 August), where Nepal ran a national pavilion built around trekking, mountaineering, spiritual travel and — for the first time — wellness packages
- Nepal is preparing to designate 2027 as a dedicated Wellness Year, its first attempt to formally brand a non-trekking travel category
The chapter award was presented at the PATA Chapter and Student Chapter Awards Ceremony at the Old Court House in Kuching, handed over by Sarawak Tourism Board CEO Dr Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor and PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid. PATA Nepal Chapter — founded in 1975 and now in its 51st year — was recognised for activities that 'best exemplify dedication to developing travel and tourism' across the Pacific Asia region. 'It was a proud moment for both PATA Nepal Chapter and Nepal to be recognised once again with the prestigious PATA Award of Excellence,' said chapter CEO Suresh Singh Budal.
The Nepal Tourism Board's award came earlier, at the PATA Annual Summit in Gyeongju and Pohang, South Korea, on 11 May 2026, recognising NTB's continuous PATA membership reaching back roughly six decades — one of the longest-standing in the region.
The pavilion: Everest, temples and yoga mats side by side
Both awards fed directly into Nepal's pitch at PATA Travel Mart 2026, held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching and organised jointly by PATA Nepal Chapter, Nepal Airlines and the country's private trekking and travel trade. The fair drew more than 1,100 delegates from 48 countries, including 221 registered buyers from 215 companies across 29 source markets — the scale Nepal's stand was built to be seen at.
Inside the Nepal pavilion, the single biggest draw was the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon — the world's highest-altitude marathon, run from Everest Base Camp down through the Khumbu to Namche Bazaar each May, marking the anniversary of the first Everest ascent. Alongside it sat something Nepal has never formally pitched at a trade show before: wellness packages, positioned as the opening move toward 2027's Wellness Year.
What this means for trekkers
What this means for you
None of this changes what Nepal is best at — high-altitude trekking stays the core product, and nothing here signals new fees, permit changes or route restrictions. What it does signal is investment: sustained PATA recognition and a national pavilion this size usually precede more international flight routes, more marketing spend in new source markets, and — with the 2027 Wellness Year push — more lodges and operators adding yoga, spa and slower-paced itineraries alongside classic treks. If you've been waiting for a reason to pair a trek with a few slower days afterward, next year is when Nepal will be actively selling you that combination.
For trekkers planning ahead, our Everest Base Camp trek covers the same ground as the Everest Marathon route, and our yoga trek is exactly the kind of slower-paced itinerary Nepal is now promoting internationally a year ahead of its Wellness Year. Full regional detail on the Everest side is in our Everest guide.
Source: TTR Weekly — PATA Honours Nepal Chapter
Cover photo: Abdul Kayum via Pexels (Pexels License).
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