Sustainable Rural Tourism and Local Communities in Nepal

8/8/2019 Sustainable Rural Tourism and Local Communities in Nepal

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Theme: Protecting Cultural Values of Place

Title: Sustainable rural tourism and local communities in Nepal

Author(s): Jharna Joshi & Manoj Rajopadhyay

Contact information:

Mailing address: GPO Box 8975 EPC 1063 Kathmandu NEPALTelephone: (977 1) 55 21 567Fax: (977 1) 55 43 206E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Sustainable Rural Tourism and Local Communities in Nepal

Rural tourism for conservation and development

Tourism is defined as a business generated from people visiting places other than theirlocality of adobe for various reasons. It is a growing business that changes with time andtrends and requires a wide range of services and expertise. Globalization, satellitetelevision, and mass communications, especially the internet has made traditionallyforeign objects familiar to regions that have no connection, yet people still travel milesover days for new experiences. The tourism market is constantly in search of newdestinations and experiences to entice the ever changing tastes of its clients. However, itis not an environment friendly industry, but can be harvested with minimuminfrastructure and investments.

The preference of tourists over the years has changed with the political and economicalchanges in the world. With global warming on the top of the list of priority and concernof a growing number of countries, tourism is also moving towards environment friendlytraveling. Pressed for time in their daily routines, travellers expect to relax on theirtravels, at the same time, seek new experiences, thrills, and activities, and are consciousof the social and environmental impacts of their activities and travels. The search for newexperiences that also has social and environmental benefits to the local community hasopened up opportunities for a number of countries and destinations that are rich inculture and nature, yet lack the resources and comforts of the developed worlds.

Although Europe and North America still command the major chunk of the worldwidetourism business, new countries in Asia and Africa are giving travelers alternativeexperiences that also give them a sense of accomplishment of giving something back tothe community and the planet. The demand for destinations that offer history, culture,nature, and new experiences has compelled the tourism market to look for supplies ofalternative destinations, one of which is the emerging rural tourism market. On the otherhand, aid agencies and development workers are also tapping into this market andinitiating programs that puts tourism money into pro-poor and poverty alleviationprojects. These projects are offering tourists new destinations and helping the localsprotect and preserve their cultures and natural environments, in destinations that lackresources and opportunities for other high cost investments.

Tourism development in Nepal


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Although tourism in Nepal has prospered since the hippies era in the 70s with MtEverest a constant attraction, organized development and promotion started in the lastdecade with international interest and funding. Nepali people in general are hospitableand respect visitors as gods as they believe that god visits in different disguises,

especially as travellers adds to its potential to develop tourism as a source of foreignexchange. Tourism as an industry to earn foreign currency and generate localemployment is a viable solution to develop Nepal due to its location and geo-politicalsituation. Rural tourism in Nepal has the potential to reach the grass root level of thesociety benefiting the poorest community through employment and use of localresources. It can be linked with sustainable community development, ultimately leadingto the overall development of the country combining environmental protection witheconomic development targeted to improve the living conditions of the local population.

Nepal offers a wide variety of natural and cultural experiences. Nepal is a country risingfrom 60 meters above sea level to the highest point on earth, Mt. Everest at 8848 meters,

within a distance of 150 kms., resulting in sub-tropical to artic climate and subsequentbiodiversity. Covering just 147,181 sq. km., Nepal is home to 2% of all the floweringsplants in the world, 8% of the worlds population of birds (more that 848 species), 4% ofmammals, 11 of the worlds 15 families of butterflies (more that 500 species), 600indigenous plant families, and 318 species of exotic orchids. In addition, more than 101different ethnic groups with 90 spoken languages add an exciting cultural dimension tovisitors. This diversity and the geographic setting of the country have provided vastpotential in Nepal for rural tourism destinations.

Although Nepal with its wide variety of biodiversity and culture is an attractive productfor the rural tourism market, these very essence and identity of the villages are the most

vulnerable to external forces in today global competition. The local communities must beaware of long term and short term benefits of harnessing their natural and culturalenvironment to the external factors. When there is a dearth of economic activities, shortterm gains are more attractive and perceived as guaranteed than the slow returns of longterm gains. In this process and haste for short term benefits, there is a danger of losingthe very essence and identity of the destination. Therefore, making the local communityaware of the long term gain, albeit slow, is critical to the survival and success of adestination. This is more applicable to the tourism business that is fickle, trendy, anddependent on external factors and international political scenarios.

Tourism as a tool for cultural and natural preservation in Nepal

Tourism cannot survive on isolation and is a multi-disciplinary service that depends onmany external factors, subsequently engulfing and benefiting a larger community.Tourism, if promoted carefully can provide economic gain and improvement of livingcondition to the entire community. Reciprocally, income generated through tourism hasthe potential to have a tickle-down effect providing benefits to the larger community.Ultimately, promotion of rural tourism not only protects the resources but also promotesthe identity of the place and the people that are in danger due to globalization.

The focus of tourism today on sustainable tourism that protects and benefits the localcommunity and environment is dependent upon local products produced by and

benefiting local communities. Products include tourist attraction sites, activities fortourists, services and facilities, as well as souvenirs. Promotion and publicity are equally


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important for a successful destination. Nepal Tourism Board is the state agency topromote Nepal in the national and international markets. Unstable political situation inNepal has affected the work of NTB. NTB has also not considered the growing domestictravellers as tourists with the law of Nepal defining only foreign travellers as tourists.

This has two major disadvantages: the domestic visitors are not counted by any statisticsand there are no incentives for Nepali population to travel within the country.

As a developing country, Nepal lacks resources for large scale investments andinfrastructure works. The recent economic policies since the reinstatement of multi-partydemocracy has opened potentials foreign direct investments, however, the internalMaoists conflict in the past decade has deterred large scale investments. Nepal still has along way to go before the complete democracy and stability is regained, an environmentnot alluring the investors.

More than 70% of Nepal is covered by hills and high mountains that require large

investments for infrastructure development. Sustainable rural tourism requiresminimum costly infrastructure development and uses local resources for incomegenerating activities. Additionally, rural tourism is based on the preservation andpromotion of local resources that benefit the larger community. On the other hand, thelow rate of literacy and education is a deterrent in introducing new elements in the ruralcommunities. Awareness programs are needed to explain that sustainable rural tourismbenefits the larger community beyond those directly involved in hotel and restaurantbusinesses. Hotels and restaurants employ local people generating employment and alsopurchase produce from the local markets. Additionally, visitors spend money on thepurchase of local products and souvenirs that will subsequently increase employmentand income prospects.

Local culture, including architecture is still perceived as reminiscence of bygone era thatis associated with backwardness and poverty. The recent internal conflict of the past 12years has seen an exodus of young labour leaving for work aboard (especially the gulfregion for work in dangerous conditions) that has created a void in the localcommunities. The returnees bring back their earnings, however the lack of investmentopportunities result with new buildings in modern styles that are perceived to bewesternised and associated with refined class distancing themselves from thebackward and poor.

Nepal has many villages and towns that can attract tourism however, many villages lack

basic facilities for tourists. The national and international projects that have focussed ontourism as a tool for conservation and development at the grass root level started withthe Annapurna Conservation Area Project. The second major project to target thepreservation and development of rural communities through tourism is the Tourism forRural Poverty Alleviation Programme followed by the Bandipur Eco-Cultural TourismProject that focused on a sustainable approach to new destination promotion with theobjective to conserve, develop, and promote a particular town.

Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP)

Annapurna Conservation Area Project was the first and largest conservation area in

Nepal that was launched in 1986 by National Trust for Nature Conservation (formerlyknown as the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation) and covers the most


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popular trekking route, the Around Annapurna Trek. The objective of this project was tomanage resources, supplemented by conservation, development and alternative energyprograms to minimize the negative impacts of tourism and enhance the living standardsof the local people.

The Annapurna Region is rich in both biological and cultural diversity, which has madethis the most popular tourist destination in Nepal since the first trekker came to thisregion in 1957 drawing 60% of the countrys total trekkers. The guiding principle ofACAP was to maximize peoples participation, sustainability, and its role as a catalyst orfacilitator, where the local people are involved in all aspects of the conservation anddevelopment process, both as primary actors and beneficiaries.

ACAP spreads out in 5 districts of the Western Development Region on Nepal andcovers 55 Village Development Committees with seven field offices in Jomsom, Manang,Lho Manthank, Bhujung, Lwang, Sikles, and Ghandruk. The ultimate objective of NTNC

is to see that ACA is managed by the local community with minimal intervention fromthe government or other institutions and has emphasized building the capacity of thelocal institutions to carry out and continue ACAPs activities.

Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme (TRPAP)

The next major project to focus on tourism as a tool to sustainable communitydevelopment is the Tourism for Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme that waslaunched in September 2001 by the Government of Nepal Ministry of Culture, Tourismand Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) with technical and financial support from United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP)/ Nepal, Department for International Development

(DFID)/ Nepal and Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV)/Nepal. TheProgramme aimed to contribute to the poverty alleviation objective of the governmentthrough sustainable tourism development that is pro-poor, pro-environment, pro-ruralcommunities and pro-women, making the benefits of tourism reach grass-roots level inthe specific program sites. The program was designed to be handed over to NepalTourism Board after its tenure, with the establishment of Sustainable TourismDevelopment Unit (STDU) in the Board. The program covered 48 Village DevelopmentCommittees in 6 districts: Taplejung, Solukhumbu, Rasuwa, Chitwan, Rupandehi andDolpa during its peak period. These districts were chosen based on the existing tourismdevelopment and its potential, and the extent to which significant elements of povertyand marginalized social groups were in need of support.

The three main objectives of this project were:

To demonstrate sustainable tourism development models for policy feedback To develop institutional mechanisms for the sustenance of tourism development

in Nepal To support the government to review and formulate sustainable tourism

development policies and strategies and integrate them with wider conservationobjectives.

By developing linkages with the rural populace, the program encourages and involvesgrassroots people in the decision making process, to help ensure that benefits from


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tourism can reach the rural poor. The focus of the program is always towards thedisadvantaged stratum of rural people who live below the poverty line. The programhas a very strong social agenda, and is aimed at getting multiple stakeholders (such ascommunity interests, local government and the national tourism organization) to work

together towards agreed common goals. The program has taken partnership approach atall levels for program planning and implementation as well as for programsustainability.

Bandipur Eco-Cultural Tourism Project (BECTP)

Bandipur Eco-Cultural Tourism Project was designed as a sustainable approach to newdestination promotion and is supported by the Asia Urbs Programme that was launchedby the European Commission in 1998 as an initiative in decentralised (city-to-city) co-operation, to bring together local governments from the European Union and Asia. TheEuropean partners of this project, Municipality of Hydra, Greece and Comune di

Riomaggiore, Italy have proven experience in promoting and developing tourism forsustainable economic benefit that will be shared with Bandipur.

This project in Bandipur is focused on the potentials of this town as a sustainable eco-cultural destination, which will provide an impetus for other economic activities that canbe easily replicated elsewhere. Located at a convenient distance from the three mostpopular tourist destinations in Nepal, Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan with otherattractions at easy hiking distances, it is at an ideal location for a stopover with thepotential to extend the length of stay of visitors to Nepal. The principal objective of thisproject is to build on the existing programmes and infrastructure of Bandipur torevitalize, protect, and promote this new destination in the domestic and international

markets.

Bandipur

Bandipur lies in Tanahun District and the main centre is located at 3300 feet above sealevel and is 140 kilometres from Kathmandu along the Prithvi Highway. Bandipur VDCcovers approximately 45 square kilometres in area and includes 9 wards. The majoreconomy of Bandipur VDC is based on agriculture and trade. Slate is widely availablehere and is a popular roofing material. Currently, orange farming is gaining popularityand is sold to dealers from Kathmandu and Pokhara. However, lack of a cold storage ata convenient distance compels the orange growers to sell their product at a cut-price,

while the buyers enjoy a comfortable profit.

Bandipur is a historic settlement and once thrived as a trade centre between the hills(Gorkha and beyond) and the Tarai (Chitwan) along the ancient India-Tibet trade route.It is a couple of hours pleasant hike from Dumre Bazaar, a busy present-day tradingcentre on the Prithvi highway that links Kathmandu to Pokhara and is also the drop offpoint to reach Besi Sahar, starting point of the popular Annapurna trekking route. Thetown is also accessible by a winding scenic road (8 kms. from Dumre) with vistas ofmountains and the valley below. There are other smaller settlements at easy hikingdistances such as Ramkot and Bahun Bhanjyang that can also be linked to Bandipur anddeveloped together. Its location provides Bandipur with the potential of an alternative

place to stay at a convenient distance between Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan. Thistown still retains its centurys old traditions and built environment even with its


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proximity to bigger cities, modern transportation, and enterprising population, which isa major attraction for the growing cultural tourism.

Bandipur has a population of approximately 23,000 with about 5,000 living in the main

centre of the town. Although Magars were the original settlers of Bandipur, at presentNewars are the majority with Bahun, Chhettri, Gurung, Damai, Kami, Sarki, etc. makingup a significant portion of the community. The different communities settled at differentlocations forming a close-knit community that gives this town its unique culturalidentity. The Newars in Bandipur migrated from Bhaktapur and bought their richculture, traditions, and architecture to this picturesque hilltop town that is still fairlyintact.

As a destination Bandipur needs certain qualities, facilities, and uniqueness to offer andbe able to market itself. The essence of Bandipur lies in its proximity to the major touristdestinations in Nepal, its location on a ridge with temperate weather and rich culture

and biodiversity, and other interesting sites such as the Siddha Cave, Ramkot, a Magarvillage, etc. in near vicinity. Siddha cave is reached after a 30 minute hike from BimalNagar, the small sleepy town on the Prithvi highway just before Dumre or 45 minutesdownhill hike from Bandipur. This cave, probably the biggest in the Himalayas can beexplored for more than an hour and has the potential to be a major attraction for Nepalivisitors and adventure tourists that make a significant portion of foreign visitors toNepal. However, the most unique aspect of Bandipur is its location on the hilltop, whichacts as a natural view tower from where you get a panoramic view of the majesticmountains above 8000 metres including the Annapurna range and the lush greenMarshyangdi valley (below 500 metres) in a single frame.

Project rationale

Located at a ridge with a picturesque town and abundant natural and cultural resources,Bandipur has high potentials for to be developed as an attractive destination. Its easyaccessibility and existing infrastructure adds to this potential. On the other hand thelocation of Bandipur is also deterrent for other industrial investments with limited spacefor large scale expansions due to the hilly terrain. However, situated on an elevation ofmore than 1000 meters on the southern plains of the country, its weather and soil has theadvantage of both the warmer conditions of the plains and cooler airs of the hill,resulting in a rich cultural and biological diversity.

Despite the existence of basic infrastructure, Bandipur has not been able to benefit fromthe growing number of tourists visiting this region. There was a slight increase after theBandipur Festival during the Visit Nepal Year 1998. But the lack of basic facilities such asaccommodations and eateries as well as information is detriment to visitor experienceand length of stay. There are potential businesses that have not been able to takeadvantage of the market even though some of the local residents are actively involved inthe tourism sector in other regions.

Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Despite the recent declinein the number of tourists in many destinations, the World Tourism Organizationpredicts the number of international tourists rising up to one billion by the year 2010,

with more than US$ 1,500 billion generated in revenue. As new destinations are createdand tourism increases in mountain and hill settlements, the social and environmental


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impacts in these fragile regions will also increase. Responsible tourism has the potentialto minimize the detrimental impacts and assist in a sustainable approach the localeconomy to revitalize the towns. Bandipur is already identified as a priority destinationby the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), which will potentially increase the number of

visitors to this region.

In order to maximise the positive impact of this increased opportunities and minimizethe adverse effects on culture and environment of the villages that are its source ofincome and attraction, it is essential to familiarize the locals with awareness programmesthat prepare them for the changes that the new interest will generate. At the same time, itis also equally significant to educate and inform the visitors on the culture andenvironment of these places to maximize visitor experience and quality. This project istaking a unique approach of protecting the natural and cultural environment ofBandipur through community efforts for the larger benefit of the local community.

Protecting cultural values for economic improvement

The principal objective of this project is to build on the existing programmes andinfrastructure of Bandipur to develop it as a sustainable eco-cultural tourism centre witha network of similar hill towns to revitalize, protect, and promote their cultural andnatural resources with programmes that have replication values. This project has fourmain targets:

1. To develop and promote Bandipur as a tourist destination with links toneighbouring similar settlements:

2. To enhance, upgrade, and conserve the built and natural environment ofBandipur:

3. To support local enterprises and revitalize economic activities:

4. Promote this network of settlements in Asia Urbs partner countries in Asia andEurope

In order to fulfil its objectives of the project was divided into 3 major activities:

1. Infrastructure development

Although the focus of this project was on soft infrastructure development such as raisingawareness, capacity building, promotion and publications in order to make the localcommunity capable of continuing the project activities, physical construction isnecessary to build up confidence and sense of belonging of the project in the community.However, the project focussed on conservation and economic activities in its tourismrelated infrastructure development works. With the increase in the volume of visitors toBandipur, the demand for accommodations and eateries are bound to create pressure onthe existing infrastructure. In order to prevent the loss of traditional buildings that giveidentity to this hilltop town, encourage restoration and adaptive reuse of houses, andprevent large scale unsympathetic developments invading this unique town, the projectrestored a number of buildings as demonstration projects to use as visitor centres andguesthouses. Local youth were provided training on restoration techniques theoreticallyand on site providing work during the project duration and building up their self


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employment capacities. The restoration projects also involved the house owners,especially on the guesthouse projects to ensure continued maintenance and managementof the guesthouse that included hospitality trainings as well.

The preference of visitors for traditional houses for accommodations, including homestays and the demonstration projects has added value to these architectural resourcesthat were earlier seen as high maintenance and expensive in comparison to new concretestructures. In the process of restoring the various buildings, the project also revivedtraditional building techniques that had almost died due to the easy availability of newand easy to use materials and technologies.

The project also repaired and restored other tourist sites that are also frequently used bythe locals, such as the historic parade ground, Tundikhel, that is also a popular picnicspot for domestic day visitors from nearby towns.

In additional, towards the end of the project duration, the project managed to repave themain bazaar area that had been destroyed by various excavation works. The paving hadbeen a contentious issue with the local community divided between those who wantedto stop vehicular movement in the main bazaar (approximately 850 feet in length with atotal of 18,000 square feet in area) and those who opposed it citing various reasons,including the raise in labour charges and ultimately products, and necessity ofemergency services. The project had made a point in highlighting the restrictions onvehicular access (and ensuing pollution) as one of the major reasons for the success ofthe European partner cities, Hydra and Riomaggiore, in attracting millions of visitorsannually. This point was further driven during the various visits by the delegates of thepartner cities. The approach of the project in this paving work was on the condition of

local contribution to ensure future maintenance and care. The project provided thestones similar to the ones found in Bandipur and the local contributed the remainingmaterials and labour that has heightened the sense of ownership to this pavingreassuring the project that maintenance will be contributed since each household paidthe amount needed for the space that was calculated according to the length of thefaade of each house and its distance from the centre of the street. This approach hasbeen highly successful with those initially opposing the paving taking care of the spacethey paid for and the challenging issue resolving itself with consensus to make thebazaar vehicle free.

This paving has initiated further activities with the provision of parking areas at the

entrance of the bazaar and cafes and restaurants opening up taking advantage of thenew open space. More activities are expected to materialize providing economicopportunities and employments. However, there is a danger of over-exploitation of thissmall town in a short span in the near future resulting in the destruction of the veryessence that made this town a popular destination. Another possibility is that mostinvestments will be made by outsiders segregating the locals in the developmentprocess, an issue that was addressed by the project in this capacity building activities.

2. Human resources and capacity building

The long term objective of the project is to encourage the local communities to involve

themselves and actively participate in the decision-making process concerning thedevelopment of their region and set am example that can be replicated in other parts of


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the country. Several trainings, workshops, and awareness programmes were held thatincluded all sections of society, including the women and children to encourage theirparticipation in the project activities. The trainings and awareness programmes focussedon three main topics, natural and cultural heritage conservation, environment, and

tourism.

At the end of the project duration the local community has the responsibility to maintainand manage the visitors to extend the life cycle of Bandipur as a destination with newproducts and attractions. The trainings provided by the project aimed to build up thelocal capacity to manage the visitor centre, visitors, and services related to tourism andincluded study tours to Ghandruk, a popular trekking destination on the ACAP areamanaged by the local community. A committee comprising of locals will be establishedthat will work with the local authority and be responsible for the overall tourismdevelopment and management of the larger Bandipur region and coordinate withregional, national, and international agencies.

The construction works were carried out by local user groups under the technicalsupervision of the project. The user groups were responsible for the overallimplementation, including allocation of funds and actively participating in the decision-making process. This approach provided trainings to the user group members on smallproject management and resource mobilization. The trainings on masonry, carpentry,electricity, and plumbing, including rain water harvesting has produced local manpowerand created self employment opportunities.

The local guide trainings provided employment for the local youth and better servicesfor the visitors. The small hotel and restaurant management training enabled the local

businesses to provide better services and expand, while encouraging new businesses toopen up. These training emphasized on the significance of cultural heritage andenvironment and their preservation. Studies were carried out on the local fauna, floraespecially the rare orchids (23 varieties were found), culture, architecture, and socialstructures that enhanced the trainings and will also be useful resource for furtherresearch.

The third focus of training was on environment and heritage conservation to raiseawareness of the local community. The training provided for the schoolchildren focussedraising awareness and encouraging their participation and responsibilities through eco-clubs established at their schools. The trainings provided for the women emphasized on

recycling and reusing waste that provided economic returns, such as composting,making souvenirs from plastic, etc.

3. Tourism promotion and publications

This project is taking a unique approach in developing tourism activities by promotingBandipur as a new destination in domestic and international markets. Althoughdestination promotion is the foundation of tourism marketing, Nepal has not been ablepromote its many destinations in the international market. With its limited resourcesNTB only markets Nepal as a single destination and it is left to the travel agencies tointroduce the destinations in Nepal through tour packages. NTB has also not targeted

the domestic market actively, which is on the rise in Nepal as road and air transportationfacilities increase. With the assistance of the European partners and the EU funding, this


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project is able to introduce Bandipur as a new destination in Nepal and internationallyby means of several media.

The promotion of Bandipur through the most prevalent media of our times, the website,

has been very effective to disseminate information andmarket the destination worldwide. For the local market the slogan One Stop inBandipur through brochures, posters, and especially through the advertisement boardsat key location in several parts of the country has been widely noticed. The target groupfor this marketing strategy is the growing domestic tourism market. Its convenientlocation from Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan makes it an ideal place for a lunchstopover or overnight halt has the potential to attract the domestic visitors and long stayvisitors to Nepal.

This project participated in various travel trade promotional fairs in Nepal and in otherAsian and European cities to promote Bandipur and expand its network in these

countries. Regular interactive programmes were held with travel agencies and severalfamiliarization trips organized targeting different groups in the initial promotionalcampaign. Although the impact of this promotion in the domestic markets is alreadyvisible, Bandipur will be able to reap the benefits of the international promotion in thelong run, depending on the overall international tourism trends and the politicaldevelopments in the country. The project is also participating in internationalconferences on travel and tourism, increasing the interest of academics and relatedindustries, entrepreneurs and students in this town, which will help to expand thenetwork of Bandipur and also ensure long term promotion of the site with researchpotentials on the success of this modality to be replicated elsewhere. Other towns withthe potential for eco-tourism will also be able to benefit from the subsequent research

works.

Several promotional materials were published that will be a valuable resource forBandipur such as brochures in different languages (Nepali, English, Greek, Italian,French, German, and Japanese). Postcards, bookmarks, promotional documentary (onDVD), key rings, and t-shirts are just a few examples of the range of souvenirs publishedthat will serve as an income generating resource. The research that went into theproduction of these materials, such as 35 hours of digital footage for the documentarywill be invaluable for future studies.

Impacts of tourism and the project on the local economy and community

The success of responsible tourism depends on the sustainable benefits to the localcommunity and the economy and their active participation in the process. This projecthas been able to include the majority of the population in its various activities. Theproject is being coordinated through a local Sub-Committee and implemented by localUser Groups formed for specific activities. Existing User Groups are also used wherethey already exist. This methodology has been able to include representation from themajority of the population providing the sense of ownership of the work to the localcommunity.

The project kicked off with a Tourism Strategy Workshop in Bandipur with the

participation of representatives from the European partners, local consultants, projectteam and representatives from the larger Bandipur area. This workshop was able to


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identify the needs and potentials of Bandipur as well as identify the resources required.This workshop was the key in setting the platform for the implementation of projectactivities and a first of its kind in Nepal, where local, national, and international expertsinvolved the local community to participate actively in the local development process.

The implementation of the physical construction activities has provided employment forthe locals more than a year. In addition, their involvement through the process hasensured their participation through the decision making process ensuring that theproject works addressed the local needs. The work was supervised by the technical staffof the project in consultation with the international consultants providing the locals withinvaluable trainings in the process.

The various promotional activities such as the advertising boards placed in key locationsin the major cities, Kathmandu, Pokhara and Narayanghat and the participation at thedomestic and international exhibitions has increased the number of local and

international visitors to Bandipur. The recent political change with the peace agreementsigned by both the insurgents and the government has also created a favourableenvironment for travelling within Nepal. There is an increase in day and overnightvisitors to Bandipur, which has generated an increase in economic activities for thosedirectly involved in the tourism trade such as the lodge and restaurant owners. It hasalso indirectly influenced other businesses such as vegetable and other vendors. Newcafes and guesthouses are opening up to cater to the different expectations of visitors.

In the long term, the increase in tourism will create more job opportunities and thenecessity for new services and businesses, such as laundry services, local guides,handicraft shops, etc. The new paving restricting vehicles to enter the main bazaar has

created work opportunities for porters, one of the poorest and discriminated groups inBandipur. In general, tourism is not an environment friendly industry and puts highdemands on the local natural and cultural resources. The trainings provided by theproject through the various workshops, training and awareness programmes and thepublications will ensure that such activities are continued and replicated by the localcommunity.

Conclusions

The methodology of this project is easily replicable in other destinations of Nepal since itis based on the basic principle of identifying the site and analysing its future potentials

with active participation of the local population. This allows a long term strategy thattakes into account the possible changes that are certain to happen and allows thepossibility of growth, which again is inevitable. Bandipur Eco-Cultural Tourism Projecthas built the necessary infrastructure for this town to grow as a tourist destination andestablished a network locally, nationally and internationally that will give sustainabilityto the activities initiated by this project.

The inclusion of Bandipur as the authors favourite trip in the latest edition (2006) of theLonely Planet, the most popular tourist guides, especially with the free itinerarytravellers has added to its popularity along with the individual and institutional effortsof local residents and friends of Bandipur. With favourable political situations

continuing and increasing visitors to Nepal, tourists to Bandipur will continue to rise inthe future. The workforce trained during the project duration will be the foundation for


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the continuation and future promotion of Bandipur. This project has integrated tourismrelated physical infrastructure, human resource trainings, and promotion in its overalltourism strategy for Bandipur that allows for growth and changes, yet protects thenatural and cultural resources for the benefit of the local population.

The development of rural tourism in Nepal has multiple benefits for the country as wellas the local community. This approach to sustainable development of rural areasprotects the vast natural and cultural resources of the country, ultimately promoting theidentity of the place and the people.

End.

Sustainable Rural Tourism and Local Communities in Nepal

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