Kathmandu : The Government of Nepal has announced to develop the country as a wedding destination for people from all over the world. The announcement was made through the budget for the next financial year, 2024/25, presented by Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun.

Besides the cultural and tourist destination, the country will be developed as a wedding spot by facilitating incoming tourists, he said.

Janakpur, the wedding place of Ram and Janaki will be promoted as a wedding hub, and Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, as a birthing venue.

For the first time in Nepal, recently, a rainbow marriage has been legally registered, making Maya Gurung and Surendra Pandey the first same-sex couple to do so in South Asia.

On 27 June 2023, the Supreme Court gave an interim order asking the authorities to register marriages involving sexual and gender minority (SGM) couples. The court’s landmark verdict took place on the initiatives of Mayako Pahichan Nepal (MKPN), a non-governmental organisation advocating for SGM rights.

Shortly, MKPN in collaboration with the Nepal Tourism Board organised the First International Rainbow Tourism Conference, spreading a message to the world that Nepal is a safe and respected destination for SGMs.

Through the conference, Sunil Babu Pant, Asia’s first openly gay former parliamentarian of Nepal, and MKPN’s executive director, demanded that Nepal be declared a marriage destination.

In view of neighbouring India and China not being so much SGM friendly, Nepal could take benefit becoming a safe haven for them, he argued. He is also a cultural ambassador for promoting rainbow tourism in Nepal.

MKPN’s President Maya Gurung has welcomed the government’s move to develop Nepal marriage as a destination.

Empowering budget

In the point number 212 of the budget, it is announced that awareness and empowerment programmes will be conducted for SGMs to lead a dignified life.

However, Pant has reservation on it. “The mention of SGMs, and awareness and empowerment is ritual,” he wrote on social media, “Now a livelihood programme should have been mentioned.”

In reply, Radhika Pant expressed her hope that now the “Prime Minister Daughter Self-Reliance Programme” will address SGMs. Indira Neupane also emphasised the introduction of programmes focusing on skills, employment, self-reliance and financial gains.

Under the programme, the government has allocated Rs 100 million to provide employment-oriented education and skills to daughters, and develop entrepreneurship.

Similarly, Rs 1.6 billion has been allocated for the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens.