Sunday 13 September 2015

Ah Nepal - and why tourism matters so much.

I beginning to be daunted by the task I seem to have set myself. I've never believed my contribution would be any more than a drop in the ocean; but I didn't realise, till I arrived, just how huge that ocean is.

Some months ago I blogged about the ethics of returning so soon to a country devastated by an earthquake in the way Nepal as been. Gawping at people with no homes is exploitation, not tourism. It cannot be right, I suggested, to come here at a time when local people needed all their energy to rebuild their own homes - they had neither the time nor energy for tourists.

On the other hand, I posited, the country needs tourists to help the economy recover. Tourists bring foreign currency - needed here much more than sympathy and kind words.

And so I umm'ed and ah'ed about how soon I should come back. Now I'm here I can see for myself the impact that the lack of tourists has on the country itself.

I'm sure there are those, like me, who had ethical qualms about coming here.

But it seems that most visitors are put off by the thought of another earthquake. Tour groups - the life blood of tourism here - have cancelled. Chinese visitors, who are likely to spend the most, are staying away. Indian visitors are heading east, and not North this year. Australians, Europeans, everyone, or so it feels, are giving Nepal a wide berth.

An earthquake has happened once -  it can happen again. Of course it can. Yet earthquakes can happen almost anywhere. So can floods and getting run over by a bus. I understand the risk-averse sticking to places they know and love. But in previous years this country has welcomed anyone looking for the drama of the mountains or the peace of the temples.

And this year? The hotels are almost empty. Restaurants pipe music hopefully into lonely streets. Shopkeepers prop themselves against doorframes but are too dispirited to hassle anyone passing. No cries of 'I give you very good price'. Mountain guides meet by the lake and sit over tea for three hours.

Nepal can, and will, rebuild after the earthquake. But the impact on tourism runs far deeper. It is fundamental to the economy - and without it families will go hungry. Hotels and restaurants will close and those working there will return to their villages in the mountains, where they can farm enough last to be self-sufficient. Young men will leave in droves to work in India or the Middle East. The economy will implode - and who knows how long it will take to rebuild.

Right now the building blocks of tourism are here. The hotels and restaurants. The mountain guides. The scenery is not going to go away. Nor are the temples (though some need rebuilding). Nor is the kindness of the Nepali. What the country needs now is visitors.

13 comments:

  1. Thank you Jo for coming here and trying to promote our tourism through your blogs. Tika

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    1. Thank you for making me so welcome, Tika.

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  2. Isn't it devastating? I know from my own experience in SA the effect Ebola (thousands of miles away) had on the tourism they need. I so hope the visitors come back to Nepal soon! And hello to Tika!! So nice to see your comment here!

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    1. It's a real eye-opener, seeing the knock-on of one devastation on an unrelated industry. It had made me think a lot more about the impact of tourists in the countries we visit.

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  3. TBH, any location could be struck by a natural disaster or be the focus of a terrorist attack. Nowhere is ''safe'' any more. I am so sad to read this ..and can only hope and pray that the situation remedies itself with time.

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    1. You're right - this happens whenever there is a disaster of one kind or another. What makes it particularly hard here is the country's economy being so dependent on tourists - they have nothing to sell but their scenery, and if no one visits everything grinds to a halt.

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  4. So many countries are suffering in so many ways right now. Has it always been like that or has social media made us more aware? Take care and I do hope that the tourists return.

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    1. I think social media has probably not helped. But the more traditional media has also been fairly unhelpful, publishing all those pictures of the destruction and then disappearing before they could comment on the rebuilding. The trauma- chasing doesn't help anyone.

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  5. I would also add that the country needs visitors like you, with a social conscience. :-)

    Greetings from London.

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    1. How very kind - I think they'd take even the grumpiest tourists at the moment!

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  6. Thank you for visiting Nepal and sharing it through your blog. We have been planning for International Youth Camp in Nepal this October too. It had been bit difficult to find participants but we have few already. The blog like yours will be really helpful as people believe in words of mouth.

    Thank you once again. xo.

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    1. This is wonderful! Your participants can be assured that the mountains are still here, the hotels and restaurants are open and fully functioning, the culture hasn't changed, and these are some of the most welcoming people in the world. Do feel free to contact me directly if anyone needs reassurance.

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  7. I hope the tourists return soon I'm sure those who love it will. Many more places will be affected mainly from terrorism. I'm thinking about Tunisa as one,how will those locals survive I wonder.

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