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The Election Commission (EC) has urged the concerned side to transport most essential election related materials for the March 5 House of Representatives (HoR) elections. 

For the transportation of the election materials, helicopter, truck, and container will be used. 

The EC has urged the firms and companies operating courier services to get enlisted for the purpose of delivering election related materials. Interested firms or companies are requested to apply for the enlistment after completing all required conditions. 

The Commission has requested the submission of copies of the certification (permission) obtained from the relevant authority to operate the service, VAT registration certificate, tax clearance certificate up to the fiscal year 2081/82, and the certificate of turnover for the past three fiscal years. 

The firm or company providing helicopter rental service must have a minimum average annual turnover of Rs 30 million in the past three fiscal years. 

Those providing trucks and container service must submit turnover details of Rs 10 million, and for courier services, Rs 3 million. 

Companies interested in providing courier services must submit an application along with the details of their courier offices and representatives in all 77 districts, including telephone and mobile numbers. 

The Commission has stated that if an application for enlistment is submitted in more than one category, such application will not be processed. 

The Commission holds all rights to take the decision regarding the enlistment of service providing firm or company, it is stated. 

In Nepal, hospitality is not merely a business. It is a culture, a tradition, and a way of life. From small family-run lodges in the hills to modern hotels in cities and tourist hubs, Nepali hotels offer more than beds and buildings. They offer warmth, care, and genuine human connection. Guests are not seen as mere customers; they are treated as revered visitors. A welcoming smile, attention to small details, and service offered straight from the heart turn hospitality into an experience, not just a convenience. It is not the rooms that define Nepali hotels, but the sincere warmth and heartfelt care of the people who run them. This is why hospitality in Nepal is often called “hospitality from the heart.”

Nepal is a country where the ancient saying “Atithi Devo Bhava” (the guest is like a god) remains deeply respected. This belief is not just spoken; it is practiced every day. When a guest enters a hotel, they are not treated like a room number but welcomed like a family member. A smile at the reception, a warm greeting, and personal attention make guests feel comfortable from the very first moment.

Many travelers who visit Nepal remember not only the mountains and temples, but also the people. Hotel staff often go beyond their job descriptions to help guests, guiding them on local culture, food, festivals, and travel plans. Sometimes, they sit together over tea, listening to stories and talking like old friends. This emotional connection is something money cannot buy.

One special feature of Nepali hotels is personalization. In many places, staff remember guests’ names, food preferences, and travel interests. A casual mention of liking spicy food may result in a customized meal the next day. If a guest falls unwell, staff often check in personally and offer home-style remedies. These small gestures create lasting memories.

Family-owned hotels and lodges play a major role in shaping Nepal’s hospitality identity. Owners and their families are often directly involved in daily operations. Guests may meet them during breakfast or dinner, creating a strong personal bond built on trust and comfort. For many visitors, staying in such hotels feels less like a commercial stay and more like being welcomed into a Nepali home.

Food is another powerful expression of hospitality in Nepal. Hotels proudly serve local dishes prepared with care and love. Traditional meals such as dal-bhat (Thakali thali), momos, and local pickles are often made using family recipes. Many hotels take time to explain the food culture, turning dining into a cultural experience rather than a simple service. Sharing food becomes a way of sharing stories, culture, and emotion.

Nepal’s hospitality industry also reflects resilience and humanity. After natural disasters like earthquakes, and during difficult times such as the Covid-19 pandemic, many hotels opened their doors to support communities. Some provided shelter, food, and assistance to locals and stranded travelers, proving that hotels in Nepal are not just businesses, but responsible members of society.

Respect for nature and sustainability is another important aspect. Many hotels, especially in the Tarai and mountain regions such as Sauraha, Meghauli, and Bandipur, embrace eco-friendly practices. They use local materials, support local farmers, reduce waste, and encourage responsible tourism. Guests are educated about protecting nature and respecting local culture. This care for the environment comes from values rooted in the heart, not just written policies.

Training and professionalism in Nepal’s hospitality sector have improved significantly in recent years. While skills can be taught, what truly sets Nepali hotel staff apart is their attitude. Kindness and sincerity come naturally. A simple “How was your day?” asked with genuine interest can transform a guest’s entire experience.

For international tourists, Nepali hospitality often feels refreshingly different. In a fast-paced, commercial world, the slow, caring, and respectful service in Nepal stands out. Guests feel seen, valued, and remembered. Many return again and again—not only for the destinations, but for the people they met along the way.

For domestic travelers, hotels are spaces of celebration and comfort. Weddings, family gatherings, business meetings, and festivals are hosted with care and emotional understanding. Hotel teams recognize the meaning behind each occasion and work hard to make every event memorable.

The future of Nepal’s hospitality industry looks promising. As hotels grow and modernize, it is essential to protect the heart of hospitality. Technology, luxury, and design matter, but they should never replace human warmth. The true strength of Nepal’s hotels lies in their people, their smiles, respect, and willingness to serve with sincerity.

In conclusion, hotels in Nepal are more than rooms and facilities. They are spaces of connection, culture, and care. Hospitality from the heart is not a slogan here; it is a daily practice. Guests may forget the room number, but they never forget how they were made to feel. That feeling of being truly welcomed is the real luxury of Nepali hospitality.

In Nepal, guests may check out of a hotel, but they never check out of the hearts that welcomed them. Long after the doors close and the journey continues, it is the kindness, smiles, and genuine care that remain alive in memory. That is why Nepal’s hotels are not defined by walls or rooms, but by the warmth of the souls inside, where hospitality is felt, not just offered, and every guest leaves feeling less like a visitor and more like family.

Among the 10-point agreement signed by the representatives of the GenZ and the Federal Government, one of the most exciting is the creation of the GenZ Council.

Setting up such a body offers the biggest opportunity to establish a more direct, participatory and deliberative form of democracy in the country, enabling the new generations of citizens to have a direct say in how Nepal is run. But it is going to be vital to design this new body in the right way, ensuring that this will be an institution that is effective and meaningful rather than being tokenistic.

First off, let’s start with what the GenZ Council should not aspire to become. The country already has the National Youth Council that is neither particularly effective nor truly representative. To be fair, this body was never intended to become a platform to give youths a voice and amplify their demands.

Rather, it was created to promote youth empowerment through programs and initiatives. This is why the GenZ Council should demark and distinguish itself and should resemble a chamber or assembly, a permanent forum for discussions and deliberations by the youths and for the youths of the nation.

Therefore, it would be much more appropriate to design it as a “GenZ Assembly”, an institution that cannot only complement but also strengthen the current parliamentary system in place. Ideally, this new body should embrace key principles of deliberative democracy where citizens rather than just those elected have a real say.

For this reason, the GenZ Council should free itself from the cumbersome burden of elective politics. As we do know, liberal democracy based on elections has a lot of problematic issues and must be supported by more direct forms of deliberative mechanisms. Consequently, it is also important that the new GenZ Council shuns party politics. Its members would be individual youths acting and importantly, deliberating on their own, without any political affiliation.

But what does the word “deliberation” mean in the context of GenZ Council? To start with, we are not talking about binding deliberations. Deliberations can be seen as detailed propositions that, following a rigorous process of debate based on expertise and knowledge, would be voted by the members of the council. Ensuring that voting will only happen after a clear process of logical discussions is paramount.

How could this work in practice? Let’s take as an example, a possible deliberative process around the pros and cons of lowering the minimum marriageable age. Each member of the GenZ Council would have the right to table a motion, in practice, a policy idea, that, in a follow up step, would be analyzed and discussed mandatorily. In our example, a member would propose a change in the current law related to the minimum marriageable age. 

Similar and connected motions could be clubbed together in a holistic fashion and discussed. After these first two initial phases, submission of a motion and its initial discussion, a first round of voting would occur where the members would decide to bring this motion forward.

What does it mean?

If a motion is voted to be brought forward, it will be further discussed, elaborated and deliberated in the form of a proposition, basically a proposal that at the very end will be finally voted by all the members. In this final stage of the deliberative process, members of the GenZ Council will have to vote if, to them, it makes sense or not to lower the minimum marriageable age.

Finally, a proposition that is voted favorably will be submitted to the federal government in the form of a recommendation that would have to either accept or reject it. The federal government would commit to officially respond in written form and also officially to each of the recommendations sent by the GenZ Council in the House of Representative, the lower chamber of the Parliament. The Federal Government should also include mandatorily explaining why some of these might have been rejected.

In future, the propositions voted by the GenZ Council could be made even mandatory but this would require more time for the country to fully understand and welcome deliberative democracy practices, basically accepting the idea of a new form of more participatory decision making.

In the immediate, the GenZ Council could also have the authority of providing feedback to each bill being formulated by the legislative. A key aspect would be how to ensure a fully representative and inclusive representation of the youths in the Council. In the field of deliberation, sortition (lottery) is a key aspect.

At first instance, it might appear as something bizarre and strange but around the world, it is how deliberative democracy happens also by taking advantage of software programs designed for the purpose. A pragmatic approach could be used to establish the Council for the first time, one that will not entirely rely on sortition. The Federal Government would nominate 25 percent of its members based on certain criteria. We can imagine this as a sort of quota that would ensure the participation of the current leaders of the GenZ movement where all major groups are included. Ideally, each Provincial Government or Assembly could also appoint a quota but this is tricky and would make things complicated also because of network/patronage related issues.

Then what about the remaining 75 percent seats? They should be allocated in an open and transparent way. As daunting as it might sound, all youths could apply but how to do so? One option would be to use sortition for all these remaining 75 percent of the seats. A second option would see that 25 percent of these seats be decided on  merits based while the other 50 percent remaining seats would be allocated through lottery.

In short, this system would imply that everyone that applies to be in the Council would stand a chance of being part of it. It will be certainly paramount that a quota system with a proportional representation of disadvantaged groups will also be guaranteed. Another key question is how long should its members remain in the council? A balance between not too short and not too long tenure must be struck. Members of the council should stay in power for one year or 18 months and they would not again be eligible to be part of the council in future.

A two-year cycle could also be envisioned but it is going to be essential to ensure that “space” for participation” opens up recurrently otherwise we would be at risk of institutionalizing a new elite of youths. What about the complex logistics of the meeting?

There could be at least three meetings in person and then have mandatory periodic online sessions where every citizen could assist and watch and possibly, have the opportunity of providing also some suggestions for the members. This aspect is important because it would enable other youths to feel connected and have a role. Participating in the Council should be a voluntary undertaking even if it is a time-consuming one.

At the most, a very basic monthly allowance (a sort of reimbursement) for its members could be entertained plus the transportation and lodging costs for those coming from outside the Kathmandu Valley for its in person sessions. The GenZ Council, if designed and implemented right away, can be a transformative democratic tool that could inspire better, more inclusive forms of decision-making.

A revised constitution could make it a constitutional body even without going to the extent of granting it with binding decision powers that the legislative and executive powers will have to respect. As the time is running short, the first iteration of the GenZ Council will be far from being perfect also because its design could be made through a more open process. Yet what at the end will count is that at least this new body that is being shaped could emanate hope that youths of this country can have a truly meaningful role in the way decisions are taken.

International visitor arrivals (IVAs) in 2025 reached 1,158,459 between January and December, slightly higher than in 2024 and marking a 97 percent recovery compared to the pre-pandemic period. December 2025 alone recorded 98,190 arrivals, up seven percent from December 2024 and also representing a 97 percent recovery compared to December 2019.

India remained the largest source market with 292,438 visitors (25.2 percent), followed by the United States with 112,316 (9.7 percent), China with 95,480 (8.2 percent), the United Kingdom with 58,684 (5.1 percent), and Bangladesh with 57,545 (5.0 percent). 

Region-wise, South Asia accounted for the highest share of arrivals at 35.2 percent, followed by other Asian countries (21.9 percent), Europe (19.1 percent), the Americas (11.7 percent), Oceania (4.6 percent), the Middle East (1.8 percent), Africa (0.4 percent), and other regions (5.5 percent). 

Meanwhile, tourism-related foreign currency earnings during the first four months of fiscal year 2082/83 (Shrawan to Kartik) stood at Rs 27.15bn, while foreign direct investment commitments in the tourism sector reached Rs 30.26bn across 476 projects during Shrawan to Mangsir of the same fiscal year.