Role of Ecotourism in Sustainable Development of Nepal
PhD scholar
Lincoln University, Malaysia
suryaghimire1136@gmail.com
Abstract
Nepal is a country of mountains situated on the southern slopes of the central Himalayas between the Indian sub-continent and the Tibetan plateau. The area of Nepal is 147181 square km. with a length of 885 km. from east to west and a mean width of 193 km, which may vary from 145 to 243 km. North to South with an irregular rectangular shape. High mountains cover 83% of the country's total land area, and undulating ecotourism has been a global phenomenon and has not been restricted to any particular region of the world. Several similar terms related to ecotourism include sustainable tourism, nature-based tourism, adventure tourism, alternative tourism, trekking and non-consumptive tourism, etc.
Keywords
Tourism, Ecotourism, alternative tourism, marketing promotion and strategies, climate changes, information technologies
Introduction
Humankind has always wanted to travel to exotic destinations and encounter different cultures since time immemorial. Even in the time of the ancient Greeks, travellers such as Herodotus (448-425 BC) visited several countries and places other than their own and reported their experiences. Much later, during the Middle Ages, people travelled mainly for religious purposes. But it was not until after the Renaissance that people began to travel in greater numbers for pleasure, education and knowledge. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Grand Tour became extremely fashionable among European aristocrats. Sustainable tourism, in emulation of its namesake, was and still is broadly conceived as tourism that doesn’t threaten the economic, social, cultural or environmental integrity of the tourist destination for a long period (Blamey,1993).
In Nepal, tourism started after the first successful ascent of Mount Everest on 29th May 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary. Before 1951, Nepal was closed to foreigners because of the autocratic rule of the Rana regime. After the flourishing of democracy in 1955, foreigners were welcomed by the Nepal Government, providing tourist visas. Before, East India Company provided visas from India under the supervision of the British Government. In 1955, Nepal issued its first tourist visa on persistent request by Boris Lissanevitch. The legendary Russian hotelier pleaded with Crown Prince Mahendra to allow Thomas Cook & Son Ltd. to send tourists to Nepal. He even convinced a group of 20 tourists, who were mostly females, to travel from Calcutta to Nepal.
The first tourists to come through were 10 Americans and 2 Brazilians. They stayed at the famous Royal Hotel, the first tourist standard hotel, started by Boris himself. The same year, a private airline named ‘Himalaya Airways also started operations, which was again a big boon to Nepal Tourism. In 1956, the National Planning Council on Tourism set up the first five-year plan on tourism. The plan stated that the ‘travel profession’ was an important tool to popularise Nepal and earn foreign currency. In 1957, The Nepal Transportation Department was set up, which paved the way for civil aviation. The same year, the National Tourist Development Board also came into existence. Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC), now known as Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), started its operation the following year in 1958. By 1959, Nepal became a member of the International Union of Official Travel Organizations with a plan to develop tourism in Nepal. George Lebrec, a French national, created this plan.
The year 1965 showed a 40% increase in the arrival Of tourists. The following years in the late 60’s drew in a new breed of tourists – ‘The Hippies’
Objective of the study
The objective of the study has been set up below on points to provide perspectives for the tourism development of Nepal and the way of sustainability through ecotourism. The following points denote the main objective of the study:
i. To explore the present status of Ecotourism and related components.
ii. To explore ecotourism products and development components with prospects of
Nepal.
iii. To analyse sustainable aspects of tourism development in Nepal.
iv. To suggest practical considerations during tourism development plan formulation to the
concerned authorities.
v. To understand the trends and issues of ecotourism and sustainability in the world.
Review of Literature
Ecotourism is considered the fastest growing market in the tourism industry, according to the World Tourism Organization, with an annual growth rate of 5% worldwide and representing 6% of the world gross domestic product, 11.4% of all consumers spending not a market to be taken lightly.
The contribution of agriculture to GDP is 39%. An overwhelming majority of Nepalese (about 80% of households) and two-thirds of the economically active population are dependent on agriculture, but only 25% of the cultivated land is irrigated year-round. The farming technology is very traditional. Industry and services together account for nearly 60% of GDP. The trade sector, with the export and import of goods and services, constitutes about 40% of GDP.
One of the frightening aspects of pollution is that it disturbs the natural setting, and it is called visual pollution or aesthetic pollution. Tourism, when it is promoted on a mass scale, loses its charm and attractions, and it leads to distort the very basic natural attraction of the site. For example, several tall buildings on the lakeside of Phewa Lake, Pokhara, have damaged the aesthetic beauty of Phewa Lake and Pokhara, as the ancient temples, respectively. Aesthetic pollution is about the mismatch between the natural surroundings and heritage structures around Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Patan and several other destinations all over Nepal. It also fails to integrate its structures with nature and traditional architecture.
Tourism Flow and ecotourism’s role in sustainability
International tourist arrivals grew by 4.6% in 2015 to 1184 million. In 2015, international tourism generated US$ 1.5 trillion in export earnings. UNWTO forecasts a growth in international tourism arrivals of between 3.5% and 4.5% in 2016. This was flown away along with the devastating earthquake and long-time blockade by India. By 2030, UNWTO forecasts international tourist arrivals to reach 1.8 billion (UNWTO.org). Nepal Government has also declared year 2020as visit Nepal year to meet the target of welcoming 2 million tourists. Though it is not a big dream, it is challenging for us to conquer the dream due to our previous history of long political conflict, falling situation of economy, harassment in the public, poor infrastructures and lack of sufficient super structures along with the proper planning of electricity, drinking water supply, access of roads and transportations, safety and security concerns.
As Nepal is rich in biological, cultural and social diversity, there is a great scope for sustainable development from ecotourism. Ecotourism helps in the sustainable development of the country. By observing these benefits, this part assesses the impacts of ecotourism on the environment, society and economy with the help of research conducted in Nepal. If you study the research of our geographical features of Nepal, it is proved that 83% of the total land area of the country is covered by mountains and hills. The remaining 17% is only covered by alluvial lands of the Terai region of Nepal (CBS, 2002). There is immense potentiality for tourism in Nepal; though only 0.1% of the world landmass of the earth is covered by Nepal, it has 2% of total flowering plants, 8% of the world’s population of birds, 4% of mammals, more than 500 species of butterfly, 600 indigenous plant and 319 species of exotic orchids not only this the geographical position and altitude variation of Nepal is also able to attract tourist (Shrestha, 1978).
Nepal is one of the countries that receive the largest number of international tourists with rapid growth of tourism. Trekking and mountaineering are creating opportunities in the operation of teahouses and lodges.
Along the trails, which has a direct impact on livelihoods. Nepal's Government has also identified ecotourism as one of the strongest sectors contributing significantly to environmental conservation, employment generation and socioeconomic development. Community-based rural tourism in protected areas has supported the livelihood of local com communities by providing opportunities to national and international visitors in community activities. So, the Nepalese government has developed national parks, wildlife reserves, buffer zones, conservation areas and cultural heritage sites for conserving wildlife and enhancing ecotourism. Eco-tourists enjoy its Himalayan ranges, natural beauty, protected areas, biodiversity, landscape, cultural heritage and ethnic diversity.
Having 8 out of the 14 high mountains over 8000 m. elevations in the world are also making Nepal a main source of tourist attraction. The Government of Nepal has declared Visit Nepal 2020, dreaming of welcoming 2 million tourists. The year 2018 saw Nepal’s tourism grow by 24%, reaching a million mark of 1,173,072, according to Nepal Tourism Board. Nepal reported a decent rise in tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2019, a 15.3 % rise over the previous year and has received 445,109 international tourists during the first four months of 2019.
Source: Nepal Tourism Board
Ecotourism and its sustainability in Sagarmatha National Park require the inclusion of local participation, economic viability, education dissemination, tourist satisfaction and tourism impact reduction. Annapurna region is one of the world's most popular trekking destinations, which comprises a variety of ecosystems from sub-tropical lowlands and temperate forests to some of the world's highest alpine peaks. To lessen the adverse impacts and strengthen the positive benefits of tourism, a bottom-up approach based on local management was implemented in the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP).
From Empirical Research to practical Application Conservation Areas (ACA), visitors can enjoy hiking, mountaineering, viewing wildlife and visiting cultural sites, ethnic museums and natural photography. For this, ACAP collects entry fees from international tourists for community development projects on health and sanitation, education, environmental protection, etc. Also, to increase community ownership and participation, management committees have been formed which enhance ecotourism for conservation and development activities by implementing fuel-efficient stoves, back boilers, kerosene and electricity.
Identifying the ecotourism products, developing them as a unique tourism product and branding the product is a big challenge for Nepali tourism in the present context. Tourism is a combination product since it is associated with several services and levels of people. The major components like tourism infrastructures, super structures, water, electricity, internet access and road access play a vital role in brand ecotourism in the international market.
Methodology
The researcher has followed qualitative techniques. The assumption that has to be tested through quantitative techniques is not formulated for the research purpose. This research is based on the logical conclusion that due to the availability of tourism resources, attractions, some facilities and easy access from Kathmandu, This study is fully supported by the previous studies, research, regular observations and interactions with local people and tourism entrepreneurs and visitors before the actual research has been done by the researcher.
Findings
There are several issues found that are to be seriously considered in action by both government and non-government authorities to make Nepal sustainable through ecotourism.
The following recommendations are the major findings of this article.
- Since Nepal is very poor in educating the people on the topic of ecotourism, it has to be started very seriously as the main organ of development.
- Initial preliminary studies must be conducted with tourism and its development components and aspects of the study area.
- The local or the hosting communities should be conscious of the formulation of local tourism development plans, policies and implementation procedures, too.
- Sustainable tourism development methods should be prioritised during crafting ecotourism development.
- Most of the trails connecting to the major tourist destination of Nepal should be either blacktopped or should be constructed in an eco-friendly way to maintain the safety of travellers.
- There should be proper and scientific implementations while managing the sewage and drainage system.
- There should be the proper distribution of drinking water, electricity, telephone and Internet access.
- There should be an establishment of tourism information centres to educate and facilitate tourists.
- The concerned authority should be aware of the carrying capacity concept.
- Effective marketing and promotional strategies should be adopted to brand and advertise the ecotourism products of Nepal in international markets, too.
- There should be the development of a tourism cooperative, which will focus on promoting the ecotourism movements in Nepal.
Discussion
Conclusion
To conclude the overall status of ecotourism in the country, it can be said that Nepal is a natural ecotourism destination. So, the progressive roots of ecotourism are already rooted in the fertile soil of the Nepali tourism industry. There have been several institutions involved from the government as well as the nongovernmental level in ecotourism activities. Several tourism programs have launched successfully and are in the implementation phase. The demand of trekking lovers has also developed a clear map to push up the ecotourism activities ahead clearly. They want to explore real nature, which is only possible in Nepal. The diverse culture and nature have made Nepal a unique destination for nature lovers. Nepal, no doubt, has the high value of the ecotourism tourist movement no sooner. There are several natural attractions around the different parts of Nepal, which can easily draw attention and fulfil the choice of travellers.
It is our bad luck that Nepal is still counted under the list of developing countries. Most of the people are still under the poverty line and are much-marginalised people. The government itself is not so strong enough to hold the youth’s strength and provide them with good employment opportunities inside the country according to their degrees. The concept of ecotourism development in Nepal will eradicate all types of doubts and droughts by providing the best job opportunities and using Nepali manpower inside Nepal to make Nepal sustainable and prosperous through ecotourism practices. There is a need for cooperation among different stakeholders, awareness training of ecotourism to tourism entrepreneurs and appropriate management policy for sustainable implementation of ecotourism projects.
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