Industry & Tourism
Veteran insider Hikmat Singh Ayer is the new officiating CEO of the Nepal Tourism Board after Deepak Raj Joshi's removal — debuting just as Nepal…
By Laxman Rawal · Jun 14, 2026
There is new leadership at the top of Nepal's tourism promotion machine. Hikmat Singh Ayer has been appointed officiating Chief Executive Officer of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), taking the reins at one of the busiest moments in the country's tourism…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Ayer was appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation following the removal of CEO Deepak Raj Joshi under Nepal's newly issued Special Provision Ordinance on Removal of Public Office Bearers, 2026. He is very much an insider: over more…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
The leadership change comes at a high point for Nepali tourism. The country welcomed roughly 1.16 million foreign visitors in 2025, and 2026 has opened even stronger: 92,573 international arrivals in January (up 15% year on year) and 105,441 in February (up…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Ayer inherits a clear marching order: 2026 has been declared Nepal–ASEAN Tourism Year, a deliberate push to win more visitors from Southeast Asia through Buddhist and spiritual tourism, nature and adventure, wellness, and community-based travel. That pivot is…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
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