The historic city of Patan, also known as Lalitpur, the City of Fine Arts, is rich in culture and crafts carrying a history of more than 2000 years.
However, due to lack of awareness and inadequate resources for proper city management, the city has not been able to preserve and promote her vast
cultural and architectural heritage. Despite being next to the Capital city, Kathmandu, Patan is only a half-day excursion for most tourists visiting
Nepal. Patan still retains most of its original urban structure and culture that has been lost in most big cities that a visitor can experience just
walking along the many winding alleys savouring the hidden delights of an authentic medieval town. In this backdrop,
Patan Tourism Development
Organisation (PTDO) was established on September 25, 1995 by a group of enthusiastic local residents with the objective to conserve and promote this
city in Nepal and worldwide. An organisation that started with limited resources and loaded with love for one’s hometown has successfully implemented
several projects for the conservation and promotion of this city and formed partnerships with many national and international organizations.
Incidentally, the inception day of
PTDO is also the World Tourism Day that this organization has been celebrating every year with various events.