POKHARA, March 17 -- Pokhara has been officially declared as the tourism capital of Nepal. Despite being recognized as a tourism hub for quite some time, the formal declaration of Pokhara as the country's tourism capital took place during a special ceremony on Sunday.

According to Dhana Raj Acharya, the Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City, a ceremony was held at Barahi Ghat, located on the picturesque shores of Phewa Lake, to announce Pokhara as the tourism capital of Nepal, with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal presiding over the event. Pokhara has been designated as the tourism capital based on the fulfillment of criteria across 20 different indicators.

The ceremony also included a tribute to the late esteemed literary figure, linguis...