The ‘Master Chef Finalists Tour to Nepal’, organized by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Nepal Chapter, concludes by promoting Nepal’s authentic food, culture and various tourist destinations. PATA Nepal Chapter had invited the four finalists of the BBC MasterChef UK: The Professionals 2020, including Chef Santosh Shah, Chef Alex Webb, Chef Bart Van Der Lee and Chef Phillipa Armitage to support the post-pandemic tourism recovery initiatives of Nepal.

The trip was supported by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) as the Main National Promoter, SriLankan Airlines as the Official Airlines partner, NABIL Bank as the Banking Partner and CIWEC Hospital as the HealthCare Partner. Similarly, the domestic airlines - Buddha Air and Summit Air, NATHM (Nepal Academy of Tourism & Hospitality Management), KGH (Kathmandu Guest House) Group of Hotels, Community Homestay Network, Siddhartha Business Group of Hospitality, Jungle Safari Lodge, GATE (Global Academy of Tourism Education), Galaxy Television, RamDev Oil and High Ground Adventures have also collaborated and supported the initiative brought forth by PATA Nepal Chapter.

The celebrity Master Chefs wore chefs’ Coats embroidered with Nepal’s national flag and visited various destinations in Nepal for the observation, exploration and promotion of authentic Nepali cuisine and culture, was an alluring and timely initiative by PATA Nepal Chapter to support the post-pandemic tourism recovery campaign for the Himalayan Nation – Nepal!!

Master Chefs’ visits and activities in Nepal have showcased and positioned Nepal’s authentic food and nation’s cultures as an integral and captivating aspect of the destination, contributing to Nepal’s tourism promotion and development. Similarly, MasterChefs have also inspired young Nepali chefs and hospitality students to engage in innovative practices, continuous exploration and effective promotion of Nepali foods to the global market.

Chef Santosh Shah has been persistent in promoting Nepali terminologies to bring Nepali foods to the world stage. During this trip, Chef Santosh Shah, with his MasterChef colleagues, has released a promotional video on ’Ayla’ as the Nepali term for ’Cheers’ that people mostly use before commencing drinks at any social gathering or functions. Ayla is a homemade traditional alcoholic beverage of Nepal that is offered as a good omen in the Newari Culture. Chef Shah believes that using the local terminologies would be more interesting for tourists and create a positive promotional value for Nepal.

PATA Nepal Chapter, in collaboration and coordination with PATA HQ, PATA Int'l Chapters, Nepal Airlines and Int'l Airlines, Tourism Board and other public-private partner organizations, will be organizing the "Nepal World Food Tour" with Master Chef Santosh Sah along with destination promotion in various international resource markets.