How does Mountain route tourism benefit the host communities in the context of Nepal ?
This informal economy of mountain route tourism helps a lot in bringing various benefits to the rural and mountainous communities of Nepal. Tourists flow in along popular trekking and climbing routes such as the Annapurna Circuit, Langtang Valley, and Everest Base Camp, enabling locals to earn handsomely. When tourists need accommodation, meals, guides and porters can provide a guaranteed income for many members of the community.
That income can help alleviate poverty, stem outmigration and encourage local businesses just as various family members open up small lodges, restaurants or other shops to cater to visitors.
It also helps in the construction of essential infrastructure — roads, schools, healthcare, and so on which can be funded either directly from tourism revenue or through increased policy attention to these regions.
Many of these villages, particularly in the Sagarmatha (Everest) region, have benefited from tourism revenue, which has helped fund and create community development projects that lift the standard of living for local people.
The preservation of traditional customs and lifestyles is vital to the mountain tourism culture, as the local means of life are often considered by many visitors to follow unspoilt installations. As a result of the interest in trekking to these areas, communities who live here (such as Sherpa’s, Temang and Gurungs) keep their cultural practices with their festivals and crafts.
In addition, mountain route tourism enables conservation efforts such as the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), in which communities profit from conserving their natural landscapes and practising sustainable tourism.
Mountain route tourism in Nepal significantly contributes to local economic growth, infrastructure development, cultural preservation, and environmental conservation, greatly enhancing the well-being of host communities.
Surya Bahadur Ghimire
PhD researcher
Lincoln University, Malaysia
suryaghimire1136@gmail.com
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