05 March 2018

Expotural brings Madrid and Kathmandu closer

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A new version of the Expotural Mountain and Sustainable Tourism Fair, organised by IFEMA, will take place in Madrid from 1 to 4 November. The initiative has clear international ambitions, and this year’s guest country is the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal, home to ten of the world’s 14 highest mountains.

Expotural has been sponsoring a series of ‘twinning’-type activities with Nepal since the launch event in September to forge closer bonds between Madrid and Kathmandu. As part of these initiatives, on Monday, 26 February, representatives of both cities signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Nepal, agreeing on aspects such as development cooperation, promoting mountaineering and outdoor sports, and environmental protection and conservation.

A delegation from Madrid City Council led by its general coordinator Luis Cueto and Expotural manager José Manuel Vilanova, who were accompanied by Spanish business leaders and representatives of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce, the Atlético de Madrid Foundation and municipal council flew to Kathmandu this week to step up diplomatic relations between the countries and cities and create a favourable environment for trade and cooperation agreements.

After their meeting at Kathmandu City Hall, Luis Cueto signed the MOU in emblematic Hanuman Dhoka in Durbar Square with his Nepali counterpart, Bidya Sunder Shayka. According to the general coordinator of Madrid City Council, this “historic agreement twins the capitals and opens the door”. Luis Cueto also thanked Expotural manager José Manuel Vilanova and Naresh Shrestha, vice-president of the Nepali chamber of commerce, for their important roles in this twinning arrangement.

The mayor of Kathmandu talked of the excellent relationship between the two countries and referred to the agreement reached in Madrid last September during the presentation of Expotural at the IFEMA exhibition centre. Bidya Sunder said that he was certain that the agreement will strengthen cooperation in areas as diverse as tourism promotion, and the development of information technology, infrastructure, social and cultural exchanges and economic developments in many other areas.

Expotural, will feature more than 10,000 square metres of mountain and rural themed exhibits
The first fair in this new stage for the event, which will be held from 1- 4 November 2018, will cover more than 10,000 square metres of exhibition space related to rural, nature and adventure tourism, and a rich variety of national and international content on mountain destinations around the globe.

Further information:
Nuria de Miguel
Press Officer
91 722 50 98/627 70 61 49