POKHARA: Shraddha Shrestha, who has spent nearly two decades in the tourism sector, has been appointed as the Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens.
Prime Minister Sushila Karki appointed Shrestha in her interim government on Friday. She was administered the oath of office and secrecy, along with three other ministers, on Friday afternoon.
Shrestha gained substantial experience in the tourism sector while serving as the head of the Pokhara office of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) for several years. Most recently, she worked as a senior manager at the NTB.
A long-time resident of Pokhara, Shrestha has been active in the tourism sector for nearly two decades. Her appointment as minister while still serving at the NTB has delighted Pokhara’s tourism fraternity.
Shraddha married a man born to a Nepali father and a Russian mother. Her husband Setephen Shrestha, died in an ultralight aircraft in Pokhara in 2017. The Shrestha family has been living in the Damside area in Pokhara-17.
Govind Raj Pahari, former president of the Western Region Hotel Association, said he was pleased to see someone who has spent years in Pokhara working in tourism and who understands tourism become a minister. “It is good news for us in the tourism sector that someone who knows and understands Pokhara so well has taken up the ministerial post,” he said.
Pomanarayan Shrestha, former president of the Pokhara Tourism Council, the umbrella organisation of tourism associations in the city, described Shraddha Shrestha as hardworking, honest, and deeply knowledgeable about tourism. “While in Pokhara, she worked with the NTB Pokhara Office. She is educated, understands Nepal’s tourism landscape, and is an expert in promoting youth and women’s entrepreneurship in the tourism sector,” he said. “It would have been fitting if she had been given the tourism ministry. Still, the Pokhara locals are pleased.”
As a senior manager at the NTB, Shrestha has led Nepal’s international tourism promotion efforts for the past many years. She has been active in sustainable tourism, youth capacity-building, women’s leadership, and community-based tourism.
She has also implemented several projects in collaboration with international organisations. She served as the project head for the NTB’s Sustainable Tourism Project, run in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project focuses on promoting rural and community-based tourism.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she contributed her expertise as a member of the Tourism Crisis Management Team. She holds a master’s degree in Development Economics and International Development from the University of Michigan in the United States. This academic background, combined with her professional capabilities and international exposure, has helped strengthen her credentials and recognition in the field.
It’s good to see someone with experience in tourism appointed to the cabinet, especially given Pokhara’s reliance on the sector. Hopefully, Minister Shrestha will be able to effectively advocate for the needs of women, children, and senior citizens as well.