Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Ambica Shrestha, a pioneer in Nepal’s hospitality industry and an advocate for cultural preservation and women’s empowerment, passed away in Lalitpur on Thursday. She was 91.
Shrestha, the chairperson of Dwarika’s Kathmandu Hotel, transformed a small guesthouse, which she and her husband Dwarika Das Shrestha opened in their garden, into a world-renowned heritage hotel. Adorned with terracotta bricks and wooden doors, windows, and struts reflecting centuries-old Nepali wooden craft, Dwarika’s stands as a living museum of Nepal’s wooden crafts.
Her contributions to the country’s hospitality industry extended beyond the walls of Dwarika’s. She founded the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) in the early 1970s as an industry lobby for adventure tourism with a handful of entrepreneurs. Together with her husband, she also operated a travel agency and a trekking agency to showcase Nepal’s natural and cultural richness to the world.
Shrestha also served as the Honorary Consul General of Spain to Nepal. She used her position to promote the Nepal-Spain relationship at the people’s level by organizing different programs and activities. Likewise, her involvement with the Nepalese Heritage Society demonstrated her commitment to preserving Nepal’s tangible and intangible heritage.
Born in Darjeeling, India, she settled in Nepal after marrying Dwarika Das Shrestha in the 1950s. At a time when women were often confined to domestic roles, she broke barriers and set new standards for women’s participation in business and public life. She also worked for the US Embassy and also taught English.
She breathed her last at Nepal Mediciti Hospital where she was receiving treatment for pneumonia and rheumatism. Her family has announced that she will be cremated at Pashupati Aryaghat on Friday.
Shrestha is survived by her daughter Sangita and two grandsons.
